Preschool Programs for 3 to 5 Year-Olds

St. Al’s Preschool Program allows each child to grow academically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually at their own pace. We strive to develop students who have a good self-image, respect the rights of others, are motivated and curious self-learners, and see the wonders of God in the world around them.

Our preschool features two rooms with two different approaches to each child’s development.

Montessori Room

This classroom is centered around the principles of child-led learning and self-discovery, emphasizing the importance of fostering independence and intrinsic motivation. The approach encourages a prepared environment with specially designed materials to facilitate hands-on exploration, promoting the holistic development of a child’s cognitive, social, emotional, and physical skills.

Exploratory Room

Student experiences in this room originate from play-based learning concepts. Activities and projects are structured to allow student learning with guided instruction. Students conduct experiments, analyze items, and make conclusions based on guiding questions and class goals. Units are thematic and provide academic learning alongside social and emotional development.

Specialists

Students in our preschool program also take part in specialist time, meeting once a week with our Music, PE, and Library teachers. They learn basic concepts in those areas and practice skills with the teacher for that content area. Students even get to perform in our winter and spring concerts under the direction of our Music teacher.

Age

Children in our program range from age three to five and are typically in a mixed-age setting. This originated with our Montessori program and extends to both classrooms as we find it has a positive impact on both older and younger students in both classroom settings.

All students must be 3 years old by August 31.

3-Days or 5-Days

Choose a three-day (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) or five-day per week schedule. The Preschool program operates on the same calendar as St. Alphonsus Parish School.

Schedules

Time Optional
Full-day 8:15 am – 3:05 pm* Hot Lunch available for purchase
After School Care (dismissal – 6 pm)
Half-day (Morning) 8:15am – 11:15 am Supervised Lunch (11:15-12:00)
Hot Lunch available for purchase
Half-day (Afternoon) 12:00pm – 3:05 pm* After School Care (dismissal – 6 pm)
*2:15 pm Dismissal every Wednesday afternoon

Catholic Values

St. Alphonsus preschool teachers see themselves as aides to parents in the faith development of the child. Our goal is to encourage each child to come to know the love God has for them. Our school mission statement applies to all of our students and can be witnessed through engaging activities, as well as the care and support students receive from our staff. We teach the whole child, encouraging all students to reach their God-given potential in all areas of development.

Staff

Our teachers are certified in Early Childhood education development. All of our teachers are held to our high standards as an academic and religious institution. We currently have three full-time teachers and two-three full-time aids working with our preschool students. We maintain a child to staff ratio of no more than 10:1.