Infant /Toddler: Ages 2 Months - 3 Years
Preschool: Ages 3 years - 5 years
FREE VPK: 4 years old by Spetember 1st
After School and Summer Camp: Kindergarten - 5th Grade
We offer full-time and part-time programs for all ages!
A Fun Place to Learn
ABOUT US
ABOUT OUR PRESCHOOL
Mission Statement and Philosphy
At Neighborhood Kids
Preschool we believe learning should be fun! Our philosophy is to provide an environment where children's social, emotional, physical, creative and intellectual development is encouraged through play activities designed to be age and developmentally appropriate. Through discovery and exploration of their world, using all their senses, children are encouraged and challenged at every age to learn skills for which they are ready.
Play In Education
To make our program a good place for every child, we gear our classroom environments and activities to be age and developmentally appropriate and to reflect our community and families we serve. Sharing your family's cultural background, past experiences and current circumstances helps us understand your child and create a program that matches the needs of your child and family.
Years of research on children's learning and development document the many benefits of play. Children at play are actively involved in creating themes, exploring and establishing environments, solving problems, and developing new skills and refining already acquired skills and developing a deeper understanding of the world around them.
Children play in many ways. They play independently, sometimes near each other but with each child engrossed in his own activity. They engage in what is called parallel play, perhaps using each others' toys or even talking, but not coordinating their play. They also play cooperatively, organizing roles and scenarios for group play, developing empathy and beginning to understand customs and socially acceptable practices. They learn to use language in new
ways to describe their play and to interact with other children and adults. We support child's play by providing space, opportunity, materials, curriculum and guidance. Centers are set up with interesting materials to both challenge and reinforce learning. Kid power and imagination are the driving forces. You may see television or video viewing as it directly reinforces educational themes, but not on a regular basis.
As children interact daily with their environment, they not only gather sensory information, they also refine their senses and motor skills. For example, it takes very refined movement of the hands and fingers to produce the penmanship required for writing. Squeezing clay, picking up puzzle pieces and lacing threads through beads are ways for young children to practice using hands and fingers. Play is fun, but it is also serious business that pays big dividends to its eager, young investors.
Accreditation
Neighborhood Kids is proud to be APPLE (Accredited Professional Preschool Learning Environment) accredited. Voluntary accreditation demonstrates our commitment to the children and families we serve. Accreditation is the end result of an intensive process of self-examination and validation through an on-site visit by a trained validator. This includes policies and procedures, employee longevity and training, family engagement, community involvement, and advocacy for children. All these components must be present in such a way that, together, they create a quality early childhood environment as defined by APPLE standards.
Programs
Internet Viewing
Neighborhood Kids offers the ability to view classrooms on line. This is provided at no charge to you. Upon enrollment you may register with Watch Me Grow, be approved by us, and then receive your access code for your child's class. The system is encrypted for security purposes. There are apps available for your cellular phone
as well.
Tours
You are welcome any time to come in for a tour at your convenience. We have an open door policy .
Staff
All lead teachers and most of our assistant teachers have their CDA (Child Development Associate Degree) as a minimum Staff Credential. In addition, all staff are CPR and First Aid certified and take 24 hours of in service classes each year. Training includes curriculum, classroom management, health, safety and nutrition, child care regulations, early childhood literacy, child growth and development, brain development and positive behavior support among many other topics. But you can't teach love and caring which we have in abundance.
We are very proud of the longevity of our staff. 26 of our 34 staff members have been here more than 10 years. That equates to a lot of experience and knowledge.
Safety First
Every staff member is CPR and 1st Aid Certified.
Meals
Neighborhood Kids Preschool participates in the Child Care Food Program administered by the State of Florida. Menus and serving sizes are regulated by the CCFP to guide and expose children to healthy choices. We use a state approved caterer who delivers meals to us daily in individual serving containers. Breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack are included in the tuition. Menus are available when you come in to visit us.
We offer an option of having Neighborhood Kids provide the formula and/ or baby food for bottle fed babies.