Preschool 1
Toddlers at Gillispie play the wonderful game of Learning How the World Works. Our first preschool class is invited into an environment full of objects, places, and activities that beg to be explored. Teachers listen and guide their young students as they work with familiar and unfamiliar items and situations. Math and language skills are already blossoming, thanks to careful observation and guidance by expert teachers. The natural world plays a vital place in the classroom in the form of sensory experiences. Children begin to understand what it means to be in a loving community as they begin the journey from home to school, self to others, and known to unknown.
Preschool 2, 3, and 4
Children in Preschool Rooms 2, 3, and 4 are encouraged to take advantage of their greater physical, intellectual, and social skills. Classroom centers are rich in natural objects that spark the wonderful curiosity of the very young. Music, art, and cooking play an important role in the classrooms; language development flourishes in the form of read-alouds, dictated narratives, and scribbled words. Children learn to see themselves as capable classroom citizens. Genuine friendships form, and time is set aside for respectful class meetings. Gradually, children are able to spend longer periods of time on task and begin to thoughtfully recognize and work within their individual areas of interest.
