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What is “play-based”?
Covenant Nursery School believes in a play based curriculum where children are able to experiment, manipulate and discover the world around them. We view play as children’s “work” and the primary mode through which they construct their understanding of the world around them. This kind of hands-on learning (as opposed to a teacher lecturing the class, doing flashcards, or working on prepared worksheets) creates children who are excited about learning and developing ideas about the world. During play, children are naturally motivated to negotiate, problem solve and develop the critical thinking skills necessary for later school success.
What role do the teachers play?
Teachers are critical to the success of our play based curriculum – providing materials for unstructured play, helping to guide and extend children’s play scenarios, creating an environment that promotes dramatic play and responding to children’s play. Teachers interact with children frequently during their play to challenge their thinking and extend their play. During group times, teachers lead the children through a discussion of things that they may have learned during their explorations related to their weekly theme. This helps to consolidate information children have learned from their different experiences.
What training do your teachers have?
All Covenant Nursery School teachers are required to have a Bachelor’s or Associates degree and at least six credit hours in Early Childhood Education. Teacher Aides are required to have a high school degree and receive ongoing training in Early Childhood Education. All employees of Covenant Nursery School are required to complete at least fifteen hours in on-going professional development during the school year. This ensures that all teaching staff are continually learning more about working with children: new techniques, skills, activities to aid learning, and that we all remain up-to-date with the current knowledge available in the field.
Why Multi-age groupings?
Covenant Nursery School believes strongly in multi-age groupings for our three and four year olds. Older children delight in being able to act as leaders in the group and teach their younger peers. Younger children benefit from being able to model after their older peers. This approach results in a very cooperative and family-like sense of community which easily accommodates the broad developmental differences in children. In this unique structure every child is given the freedom to develop skills and abilities as they are ready without the pressure of others to be compared to. The multi-age setting is truly supportive of Covenant’s belief in children developing in their own time. As children are able to revisit curriculum topics, new information is gleaned and knowledge is solidified.
Will my older child be bored in a multi-age setting?
Research is showing more and more that social-emotional abilities such as high self-esteem, self-confidence in abilities and skills, good peer social skills, and good self-regulation skills are fundamental qualities to later school success. In the multi-age setting, older children are given the unique opportunity to be the “experts” in many areas, building self-esteem and self-confidence. Similarly, research has shown that knowledge is only truly solidified and incorporated when it can be taught to others – something that is often seen happening between older and younger children in the multi-age classes. Teachers are able to scaffold learning so that older children are challenged to incorporate skills as they are developing – writing “tickets” for train play, taking orders on pads of paper available in kitchen play, making signs during block play, and utilizing their developing math skills. Developing and refining these emerging skills through play throughout the day provides a meaningful way for all children to learn.
What will my child’s day be like?
All of our teachers work hard to create a predictable routine in their classes that children can learn to anticipate. We have found that this predictable schedule enables children to feel secure in their school environment. A quick walk through the day in each of the classrooms would look a little like this:
Multi-age classes have the following parts of their day:
First circle -- children and teachers have the chance to connect and say good morning to each other. Daily jobs are chosen including: line leader, turning off the light, closing the door, putting out cups or napkins at snack, room monitor, weather person, calendar person, etc. Lastly, children and teachers discuss briefly the current theme of the week and children are told what different activities are available to them at choice time.
Choice Time -- children are able to choose where they would like to play/ work such as: painting in the art center, writing/ drawing in the writing center, working on the art/craft project being led by a teacher, playing in the sensory table, doing dramatic play in the kitchen or dress-up area, building with blocks, reading in the library, playing with small manipulatives, doing hands on discovery play in the science area.
Longer Circle Time – the whole group comes together to read or act out books, sing songs, do group circle games, conduct science experiments, talk about the weather and calendar and discuss the weekly theme in more depth.
Bathroom Break and Washing Hands
Snack – a combination of two of either grain, fruit, vegetable, or dairy product and water keep us going during the morning.
Outdoor Play -- a time for active play outside at the park, at our on-site location, or in the gross motor playroom.
Quiet Books and Puzzle Time
Finally, it’s time to get ready to go home.
As you can see, a lot gets accomplished in these short two and a half hours!
Young Three’s and Turtle Two’s days look like this:
Attendance Turtle – As children enter the room they find the turtle with their name on it and place it on the attendance turtle to let everyone know that they are here.
Choice Time – children are able to choose areas of the room to play/ work such as painting in the art center, playing with playdough, enjoying books or quiet play on the loft, building with blocks, playing at the train table, cooking in the kitchen, taking care of the baby dolls, playing in the dress-up corner, putting puzzles together, doing an art or craft project, exploring the sensory table or building with legos.
Circle Time – the whole group comes together to read a book, sing songs, do group circle games, or do some dancing games to music.
Bathroom Break and Washing Hands
Snack – a combination of two of either a grain, fruit, vegetable, or dairy product and water keep us going during the morning.
Outdoor Play -- a time for active play outside at the park, at our on-site location, or in the gross motor playroom.
Finally, it’s time to go home
Singing the goodbye song signals the end of the day and the arrival of parents and caregivers. As you can see, a lot gets accomplished in these short two and a half hours!
What kind of outdoor play space does the school have?
Covenant will have access to a few different outdoor options. On nicer days classes will use Central Park, located just two short blocks from the school. Children will wear pinnies to help teachers identify them easily, and will walk holding a special rope with handles. Younger classes will be able to use buggies that hold six children each. On days when walking to the park seems like too much, we will fence off a tucked away corner of the parking lot and grassy area for the children to ride bikes, run, throw balls, play basketball, do parachute games, climb on a climber, color with chalk, and otherwise get their wiggles out.
How does drop off and pick up work?
Parents may park in the large parking lot in front of the church (closest to Golf Rd.). Parents/ caregivers can enter through the front entrance during drop off and pick up times and walk children to their classroom. Caregivers sign children in and out in the classroom.
Is Religion a part of the classroom?
It is Covenant’s policy to be respectful and sensitive to the beliefs of every Covenant parent and child. We do not include any religious instruction or doctrine in our classrooms. Holidays that coincide with religious events are not directly taught in our classrooms. Teachers may acknowledge the different customs and traditions that are celebrated throughout the world such as Hannukah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa. We do encourage children and families to share aspects of themselves and their culture. Children who spontaneously share something of their religious or cultural backgrounds will receive open and enthusiastic responses from their teachers. Sharing customs and practices teaches children about the diversity of the world.
What is a Family Services Coordinator?
At Covenant, we recognize that the journey of raising children in today’s world, as rewarding as it can be, can also be an exhausting and challenging one in which everyone could use some extra support. To help provide this for every family, Covenant has a part time Family Services Coordinator. The Family Services Coordinator organizes events throughout the year to bring families together – every other month Family Craftivity events give families an opportunity to socialize, have lunch and do activities with their children after class time. Martha also helps to organize regular parent meetings bringing in speakers on a variety of topics such as toilet training, discipline, socialization, sibling rivalry, etc. She also plans occasional coffees during school hours with topics for group discussion and brainstorming. She is available when needed to help link families with any developmental or support services they may be interested in or to meet individually with families to lend a supportive ear.
How are parents involved?
We encourage all parents to be as involved in the school as they want or are able to be. Parents are welcome to visit in the classrooms during the day or sign up to help out with a particular project or activity. Parents volunteer to share their talents, cultures, and traditions by leading a class in acting out a book, helping out on a neighborhood walk, sharing something special to their culture, or reading a book. Furthermore, Covenant holds potlucks, work days, carnivals, and family picnics to help all families feel a part of the Covenant Nursery School community. Parents are always welcome and are a very vital part of our program! Additionally, Covenant’s Board of Directors is comprised largely of parents and other community members volunteering their talents and time to help benefit and govern our not-for-profit institution.
Will my child learn to read and write?
Covenant Nursery School believes that the natural development of individual children cannot be sped up because of the desires and wishes of those adults around them. Our curriculum is very child-directed and teachers work especially hard to gear their units around the particular interests of the children in their class. At Covenant Nursery School, we focus a great deal on helping each child develop a strong foundation – emphasizing the social and emotional development of young children. Children who feel self-confident, secure in their abilities and have a high self-esteem coupled with the knowledge of how to negotiate effectively (using their words) with peers and adults around them have all the fundamental elements to being successful later in school. Negotiating separations as well as building relationships with others are common threads of the school curriculum. Early literacy is definitely highly valued and is interwoven into the curriculum of all Covenant’s classes. Books are read frequently to small groups and large groups of children, children learn to recognize and write their own and their friend’s names, writing supplies and writing samples are always available for children to “write” letters, notes, or signs, and children are encouraged to appreciate and respect all kinds of literature. For most children, these pre-literacy skills are definitely set in place before children go off to school. These include some of the following: recognizing his/her written name, trying to write his/her name or other words, recognizing sounds that letters make, understanding that print contains a message, knowing that pages are turned from left to right and that words in books are read from left to right.
Can my child with a peanut allergy attend?
Covenant Nursery School has been peanut free for many years. Peanuts or peanut products are absolutely not allowed in the program, in children’s lunches or in the classroom snacks. Teachers have received training regarding food and peanut allergies, what to look for in snacks, and how to treat an adverse reaction. In addition to nut allergies, Covenant makes every attempt to accommodate the special needs of every child who enrolls.
How diverse is the program?
Covenant makes every effort to create a program where every family and child feels welcome. We have a scholarship program that is available to families so that tuition need not be a prohibiting factor to whether your child may attend our high quality preschool. Similarly, we strive to create classroom environments and provide trained, educated staff so that every child, regardless of ability level or other special need, can truly thrive. We are committed to providing the best preschool experience to every child and family.
Does Covenant Nursery School hold fundraising activities?
Most preschools in the Evanston area depend in large part on the efforts of families, alumni, and community members to help raise money for the operation of the school. Covenant is no different – our tuition covers about 85% of the cost of operating a high quality preschool. Grant money, organizational contributions and individual contributions round out Covenant’s annual income. Covenant offers some fun ways to get involved and contribute including: a Giftwrap sale, Dominick’s Escrip program, purchasing monthly scrip gift cards, and Covenant’s Silent Auction.
Are there opportunities for my child to attend for an extended day?
One unique feature about Covenant Nursery School is the enrichment classes that we offer to our Young Three’s and multi-age children (3-5 year olds). Children have the option of signing up for a variety of lunchtime enrichments including Turtle Tunes, Cooking, Spanish, Pre-K, Fun Science, Hands on Art, and Lunch Bunch. Enrichments span the lunch hour from 11:45-1:15 with time for children to eat a parent-provided lunch in the company of friends. These programs give children additional curricular opportunities in an environment they are already comfortable in as well as giving children experience with a longer day (particularly great for those children going on to kindergarten the following year). Because we try and offer enrichment programs that mesh with current interests of the children and families enrolled, there is a possibility that enrichments may change from year to year. Please see the additional handout in this application packet for more detailed information about our enrichment programs.
Does Covenant offer scholarships to help families pay for tuition?
Depending on budget allotments, Covenant works to offer scholarships to families when needed. In order to apply for a scholarship, you must fill out a scholarship form and attach your most recent income tax return. A committee composed of the Director, President, and Treasurer reviews requests for assistance – all information is kept absolutely confidential! While Covenant Nursery School is not obligated to offer or provide financial assistance, the school makes it a priority to do so whenever possible in order to serve the needs of all the families in our community. Please see Covenant’s Director, Tina Vanderwarker, for a scholarship application.
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