Enrollment for the fall term at Incredible Years Preschool is open now for children ages 2 1/2 to 5, and since space is limited, parents are encouraged to register soon.
The preschool, 1312 Patton, also has scheduled an open house for 6 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 11. The fall semester begins on Aug. 18 or 19, depending on a child’s age.
“We hope parents take advantage of our early enrollment and that others interested in preschool join us for our open house too,” Director Shari Schneider said. “There are many reasons Incredible Years has exceeded expectations since we opened in 2009 and we want to share our success with the community.”
Sunflower Diversified Services, a non-profit agency, owns and operates Incredible Years.
Schneider noted that tuition is based on a sliding-fee scale, making preschool accessible to more families. Often, she added, families must choose to send their children to preschool for fewer days to make it affordable.
“At Incredible Years, the children in each age group attend the same number of days, receiving the same opportunities to learn,” Schneider said.
Hearing and vision screenings also are offered, along with a healthy breakfast and snack.
“In addition, with our teacher-to-child ratio, we can provide more small group activities and one-on-one support,” Schneider commented. “Our staff also collaborates with community partners such as Sunflower’s Early Education Center and Helping Hands Preschool to provide screenings and evaluations, and continued services as needed.”
Incredible Years focuses on the Kansas Early Learning Standards and a curriculum that includes: free play; social/emotional development; language, literature and communication; arts and sciences; and physical development.
Cathy Estes, Sunflower children’s services coordinator, noted the curriculum and teachers are second to none.
“We have three highly trained teachers who are experts in child development,” Estes said. “They know when a child might not be reaching certain milestones and when it is important to talk to the parents. We keep the lines of communication open with our families.”
In addition to Schneider, Jolene Hindman and Jessica Kraisinger teach at Incredible Years.
“The quality of our curriculum relates back to these professional teachers,” Estes comments. “We have learned so much about early childhood development and are on the cutting edge of preschool education.
“For example,” Estes continued, “we focus on what we call ‘intentional teaching.’ This means there is a purpose to everything we do – whether in the classroom or on the playground. We are not a child-care service; we are a preschool.”
Since sliding-scale tuition fees don’t cover all expenses, Incredible Years relies on private donations from the community.
For more information about Incredible Years, contact Schneider by calling 620-792-4087.