Good info for parents on Kids Connection Preschool
Parents of young children in Airdrie often find out about preschools through word of mouth and recommendations. Most often, parents want to know:
- Are the teachers nice?
- What are the teachers’ qualifications?
- What is the discipline policy?
- What is the tuition?
- What are the hours?
- Is there a waiting list to register?
- When is registration?
- What will my child learn?
- What is the teaching philosophy?
- Who is on the board of this non-profit preschool?
- How often are the toys cleaned?
- Are there accommodations for children with special needs?
The list can go on and on.
Kid’s Connection Preschool is licensed by the City of Airdrie and is located inside Genesis Place. The school offers programs for kids from three to give and offers a variety of enrichment opportunities. Early childhood literacy, language development, social skill development and physical awareness are important aspects of the Kid’s Connection program and philosophy. These are achieved through daily group reading, oral storytelling, free play and organized games.
Three-year-old program
These children come twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 9:00 am to 11:30 am. Children must have celebrated their third birthday before entering the program and should be willing to be independent and away from parents. At this age, the teachers encourage children to play together as a group, learning social skills and how to work well with others. They learn how to hold a pencil and use scissors. This level is where kids start recognizing letters and numbers. The cost for the three-year-old program is $188.25 monthly.
Four and five-year-old program
These children come either two or three times a week – Monday and Wednesday from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm or Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 9:00 am to 11:30 am. Children in this program are being prepared for kindergarten. Learning and playing together as a group is continuous and the concept of empathy towards others is further developed. Kids work on printing, recognizing patterns and learning early arithmetic skills. Preschool students use the gymnasium and dance studio within Genesis Place
The two-day a week preschool is $160.99 and the three-day a week preschool is $261.04 a month.
Students in the three-day a week preschool program will also be exposed to swimming.
Subsidies are available from the Province of Alberta for qualifying families.
Other enrichment
Throughout the preschool term parents are invited to volunteer on a regular basis and assist with special events. Kids Connection celebrates Halloween, Christmas and Easter and conducts field trips in and around the City of Airdrie which can only happen with parent involvement.
Parents should note that Kids Connection Preschool is completely funded by student registration so no additional fundraising on behalf of parents is required.
Kids Connection Professional Teachers
Every preschool teacher is required at the very minimum to have the Child Development Worker certificate issued by the provincial government. Each individual must have Standard First Aid and of course, be current with CPR. Police checks are also mandatory.
Registration Procedure
In addition to meeting age requirements, children entering Kids Connection Preschool have to be toilet trained. Registration for the public begins in February but students will be accepting on an ongoing basis provided the program you want isn’t full. In that event, you may put your child on a waitlist.