Discovery Place Preschool Stanwood, wa

Fall 2024

Our fall program is for 3-5-year-olds, 4 days/week, Monday - Thursday from 8:30 to 3:30 (7 hours/day) for families who qualify for the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP). The cost is FREE. For families who qualify for state subsidy, the cost ranges from free to a small co-pay, depending on income.

ECEAP

To see if you qualify for ECEAP, see the income eligibility chart for 2024 and visit this website. to learn more. Fill out the application at DiscoveryPlaceStanwood.com.

Curriculum

We use Creative Curriculum, which is a discovery-based curriculum where children make their own discoveries through investigations and play. We also use the Music Prodigies music program. Breakfast and lunch are served so children can be introduced to nutritious foods with peers. They commonly learn to love foods they previously did not like if their peers also enjoy them! We've had good success with children learning to love new foods, make friends, and learn the skills needed for Kindergarten!

Registration fee

There is no registration fee, materials fee, or any cost for ECEAP families. For state subsidy, there may be a monthly co-pay.

What Sets Our Preschool Apart?

Experienced Teacher

DeAnn Jones has a Ph.D. and also teaches Early Childhood Education classes at Purdue University Global. She has been teaching preschool for 11+ years.. She moved from Bozeman, MT where her preschool was in the newspaper several times and was accredited by NAFCC and received a STAR 5 rating, which, at the time only 3 programs in the state had reached. She also volunteers for the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) on the HELLO Interest Forum.

Relationship-Building

Children learn best when they feel a close relationship with a caring teacher who can coach them during emotional moments using words to explain their feelings and resolve conflicts with others. As children learn these skills, they are prepared not only to do well in school, but to have the emotional intelligence and problem-solving skills necessary to function well as adults.

Small Size with Individualized Learning

Class size is deliberately small (six children total), which helps your child build stronger connections with me and the other children. I hold two parent-teacher conferences every year to update you on their progress. I also use the Developmental Indicators for Assessment of Learning (DIAL-4), a screening tool that gives me a baseline of your child’s development. I use this information, along with other informal assessments, to individualize the curriculum to meet each child’s developmental goals. I also take anecdotal notes as children play and scaffold their learning through asking “I wonder…” questions to help generate higher level thinking.

Healthy Meals

I focus on home-made organic whole-foods meals with little or no sugar. I help children develop a love for these foods as we eat family meal style using Ellyn Satter's approach. Children are free to take what they like and pass the bowl if they don't want to try particular foods. Children choose what they eat and how much; the teacher's job is to provide healthy choices. Interestingly, in this environment, children are more likely to try new foods and like them, particularly if their peers and teacher are also enjoying the food! Parents are typically surprised at how food adventurous their children become! We also do cooking experiences, and children love eating the foods they make!

Healthy Children

When children eat healthier, they develop better immune systems and are less likely to catch illnesses. With our small size, nutritious eating, and excellent hand washing and other health practices, children are less vulnerable to infectious diseases.

Home-Based Setting

We are located in a spacious home in the Cedarhome neighborhood of Stanwood with a beautifully landscaped, fenced backyard with tricycle path and beautiful trees and plants. With all the comforts of a home, combined with a full preschool layout, children help with cooking and have more individualized attention (home-life feeling) while also having the benefits of a center, such as a block area, dramatic play, market, science center, literacy, writing, art area, manipulatives, and musical instruments. The preschool fills the entire main level of the home.

Research-Based Curriculum

Our preschool uses a purchased educational program called "Creative Curriculum" produced by Teaching Strategies. This program has research based strategies to help children learn through investigation and discovery. There are several “studies” or investigations that last about four to six weeks each. Examples include trees, clothes, recycling, buildings, balls, tubes and tunnels, simple machines, roads, insects, sand, pets, music, exercise, signs, boxes, and more. Studies are selected based on emerging interests observed in the children. See our Facebook page. There are 38 learning objectives incorporated into the investigations, so the specific investigation topics are merely vehicles for learning math, science, alphabet, phonological awareness, rhyming, and other literacy concepts—all while using play-based exploration!

Prodigies Music Program

Our musical instruction helps children learn to focus attention, tap to a beat, listen to pitch, learn musical notes, and learn to play simple tunes. Learning musical skills early is associated with better cognitive skills in elementary school.

Field Trips

We have field trips come to us, such as the garbage truck driver, police officer, fire fighter, entomologist, veterinarian, bee keeper, pet groomer, painter, construction worker, violin player, plumber, dinosaur park, etc., depending on the study we are in. We also take "virtual" field trips.

Eligibility

If your child will be 3, 4, or 5 by August 31st, 2023, your child is eligible. To see if you qualify for ECEAP, visit this website. Also, get the ECEAP Prescreen at Discovery Preschool's new website at: www.DiscoveryPlaceStanwood.com

State Licensed

The program is licensed by the state of Washington and participates in Washington's Early Achievers program. Subsidized families and ECEAP eligible families are welcome to participate.

How To Register

To claim your spot, call (360) 899-1019 or email info@stanwoodpreschool.com