Dear Bibliophile,
We have big news here at SARA that we’ve been holding on to for a little while now… We are officially opening our first Early Learning Center! We are slated to open this fall (the first week in August) and are currently accepting enrollment applications for those wanting to join our waiting list.
Our location will be on S. College Street in Winchester. We will be posting photos of the location once it’s ready for tours, so make sure you are following our Facebook page for updates.
Though we’d like to steam roll right into a full time preschool, we want to make sure that we are adhering to all of the licensure requirements to keep your children safe, happy and learning. We also want to ensure that our families feel our programming is a good fit and that our teachers have time to grow accustomed to our new curriculum. Because of these factors, we will be opening initially as a Mother’s Day Out Learning Center that will be open Tuesday-Friday 8-11 with drop-off starting at 7:30. We understand that a full time preschool is what the community needs and rest assured that we will be working to grow into this within the coming months. Any family who enrolls with us in our initial MDO structure will receive priority enrollment when we do grow into a full time preschool.
Okay, SARA, but I have questions, alot of them…What will my child be learning at this Early Learning Center? Is it a free-for-all for the kiddos?
Great question! It is absolutely not a free-for-all. Our Early Learning Center will follow a structured schedule that ensures that our children are always learning whether it is through play, instruction, or enrichment activities. We will be using Experience Curriculum through Brightwheel linked here. It is a dynamic and research-based curriculum that addresses 36 different skills critical to children’s development such as: language skills, basic math, science and art, social-emotional growth, creative development and many more. Our curriculum pairs skills with themes, and academic instruction with hands-on activities so that children are often learning more than they even know they are. The activities that our students will be doing will be dynamic and stimulating. Furthermore, SARA is, at its core, a literacy-based organization so ensuring that your children are getting the foundational reading and writing skills to make sure that they succeed is at the top of our to-do list. Along with activities across subjects, our teachers will provide additional reading and writing instruction, ASL skills to promote language development and communication skills, and individualized assessments to keep them on track for whatever path you choose for their further schooling. There is no screen time at SARA, just learning and play!
Wow, that sounds great! But, who will be working there with my kids? What kind of safety measure will you take?
More great questions. SARA is currently hiring an exceptional group of educators and teacher’s aids to ensure that class sizes are small and children can get the attention that they need to grow and learn the best they can. Our goal is to have a Preschool Director and at least 2 additional licensed teachers. Watching our Facebook page is a great way to keep up to date on our growth as we add more members to our team. It’s important to know that as we grow, we will also require background checks of all staff members and CPR and First Aid training. Through the Brightwheel platform, educators will be expected to pursue professional development classes to continue honing their skills and keeping them up to date on current safety practices. SARA also values transparency and honesty. As a parent, you will have access to our digital classrooms so that you can see what skills and activities we are completing each week. Educators will add pictures of your child learning as well as notes on where they struggled and where they succeeded so that you are always kept in the loop of your child’s development.
Ok, SARA, we’re both working parents, so what about after 11am? Is there any kind of extra care option for my kids at your Early Learning Center?
Currently, official instruction time at the SARA Early Learning Center will end at 11, but we will be working to provide extra enrichment classes in the afternoon that you (as SARA families) will have the opportunity to enroll your children in for extra afternoon instruction and activities. We are actively speaking with community partners to be able to offer extra music, art, tutoring, ASL and other language classes after our main SARA ELC hours. We will of course share this news as we develop more offerings.
Finally: How do I sign up? Is there any cost?
There is no cost to sign up! We are currently accepting applications for families to join our waitlist right on our website. Just click the “Early Learning Center” tab and fill out an application to join our waitlist. We will be contacting families within the next month as we ready our location for tours and can start inviting interested families to come and see us!
Please email us at info@saraelc.org for any questions that you have about the Early Learning Center. We can’t wait to start learning with you!
Sincerely,
SARA
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