Church of the Word
LITTLE LAMBS VILLAGE PRESCHOOL


Little Lambs Village Preschool is an outreach ministry of Church of the Word, Anglican.

Our goal is to assist parents in providing a warm, caring, Christian environment that facilitates a developmentally appropriate teaching-learning experience to help children develop in all aspect: social-emotional, cognitive, physical, and spiritual. We follow the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) concept of developmental appropriateness as having two dimensions: 1) age appropriateness and 2) individual appropriateness. We use child development knowledge about a specific age group and knowledge of the individual child in the classroom to plan an appropriate learning environment.

Social /Emotional Development: To develop a positive self concept; develop a positive attitude toward life & learning; demonstrate positive behavior; develop a sense of responsibility; develop an awareness of manners; develop empathy toward others

Cognitive Development: To develop verbal skills; acquire beginning reading & writing skills; acquire problem-solving skills; develop beginning math skills; learn listening skills; learn to follow simple directions.

Physical Development: To enhance gross & fine motor skills; use all senses in learning.

Spiritual Nurture: We enhance our program to include spiritual nurture. As a ministry of the Church, we promote a holistic approach to child development, not ignoring the spiritual being of a person. Our aim is for the child to develop an awareness of God and to know Him in a personal way.


2010-2011 Programs and Tuition   We offer four different classes:
2day/wk class for three year olds Tue/Thua.m. or p.m.       $155/month
3day/wk Transition Class (older 3's)       Tue/Thu/Fria.m. (only)$210/month
3 day/wk class for four year oldsMon/Wed/Fri       a.m. or p.m.$210/month
5 day/wk Pre -K (older4's & 5's)Mon - Fria.m. or p.m.$279/month
(10% discount for the second sibling enrolled in the same year)

We are hoping to keep tuition rates for 2010-2011 the same as for 2009-2010. If there is a change, it will be only a slight increase. We will let you know as soon as we have the final figure.

Class Times
AM classes:   9-11:45 a.m.
PM classes: 12:10-3:00 p.m.

Requirements for Admission
Children must be three or four by Sept. 30. Must be potty trained and have independent toileting skills. Child's original birth certificate is needed for validation. A physical form is required from a doctor showing a recent check-up and attesting to the child's good general health.

Registration
Registration is held in January and February for the following school year. For mail-in registration or for your convenience, please download the 2010-2011 Registration Form (click here). You may send your registration form and fee by mail. We can only officially consider a registration application when we have received the registration fee. Please make your check payable to Little Lambs and write the child's name on the memo line of the check.

Registration Fees  (non refundable if space is granted)
$120 new and former families
$100 current families
$60 Church of the Word families

Registration Dates 2010
January 15-25, 2010     Church of the Word families or current preschool families
January 25-31, 2010Former preschool families
February 1, 2010Registration for new preschool families. Mail-in forms may not be postmarked prior to February 1. Or you may use our drop box by the front door entrance.

If you miss your registration period, your application will be put in the general application pool and will be considered on a first come, first served basis. We may accept registration during the school year. For further information, call the office at 703-754-9673 or email the preschool director at Preschool@ChurchOfTheWord.net.

Confirmation of Enrollment
Confirmation of enrollment will be sent by email or letter as soon as we have the class list. We will send you the enrollment packet as soon as your registration is confirmed. If there is any change in your preschool plans, please let us know immediately so that we can make the space available to the next child on our waiting list. If a space is granted to your child and you withdraw registration, the registration fee cannot be refunded.

Preschool Tours
Preschool tours planned between January and the second week of May are the best opportunities. Please call 703-754-9673 or email us at Preschool@ChurchOfTheWord.net for an appointment.

Location
The church is on Route 29, next to McDonald's in Gainesville. The building is blue with a white wrap-around porch. From I66: Take Route 29 South, exit 43. Turn in at the entrance for McDonald's on the left; pass the McDonald's parking and turn right into the parking area behind the church. The church faces Rt. 29. The office is through the double doors in the front of the building. Road construction is ongoing, so watch carefully for any changes to traffic flow in and out of our parking area.

Curriculum
We implement the Creative Curriculum approach to early childhood education. "The Creative Curriculum is rooted in educational philosophy and theory as well as practice. It relies heavily on Erik Erickson's stages of socio-emotional development, Jean Piaget's theory of how children think and learn, and on principle of physical development" (Creative Curriculum, 3rd edition, p. 5)

Curriculum Components:

Social and Emotional Development
It encourages trusting others; building competence and self control; taking initiative to express oneself in a socially acceptable behavior.

The Learning Process
Children learn by doing. Allowing children to explore and be actively involved with their environment expands their learning process. Language skills and abstract thinking skills are developed when children play with real objects and learn to manipulate, classify and symbolize using language.

Physical Development
Gross motor Development - use of the large muscles of the body. Letting the children participate in indoor games, movements, playground activities, Pee Wee fitness program (for older preschoolers) to acquire physical skills.

Fine Motor Development - use and development of small muscles coordination are critical for writing and drawing skills. "Developing physical skills lays the foundation for cognitive abilities in reading, writing & math" (Creative Curriculum 3rd edition, p. 9)

Our thematically based teaching plan provides opportunities for hands on creative learning experiences in a well organized environment. Daily Class routine is a balance between: Structured, teacher-led activities (circle times and main activity - one on one mentoring); and non-structured play activities (active and quiet times; large group and small group; playing alone and with others)

Learning Centers are interest areas that include: blocks; house corner; table toys; art; sand and water; library; music and movement; computers; outdoors
Academic Content includes the basics: Alphabets - letters and sounds, colors, shapes; Science - weather and seasons, human body, plants, animals; Math - patterning, sorting, graphing; Language Development
Spiritual Nurture includes: Bible stories and Bible songs; Character development; Chapel time; Preschool Sundays

Progress Reports
We send home progress reports after the first and second 12 weeks of classes consecutively. A few weeks before the end of the school year at the parent-teacher conference time, we hand out a copy of all the assessment sheets and forms to the parents.

Parental connections
Open House; monthly newsletter and curricular calendars sent home; Parent-teacher conferences; Parents involvement in classroom duties and field trips; Homework - bridging or bringing classroom experience at home

Staff
Our lead teachers have either college degree or equivalent training & years of experience in early childhood education. Teachers and Aides are Pediatric First Aid and CPR certified. All staff is screened yearly by a physician.

Student/Teacher Ratio
16 children to 2 teachers

School Calendar
Our school year runs from September through May. We follow the Prince William County school calendar for holidays and snow days.



LITTLE LAMBS VILLAGE PRESCHOOL
    2009-2010 SCHOOL CALENDAR

September 8, 9OPEN HOUSE
September 10, 11First Days of Classes
September 25Pee Wee Starts
   
October 5, 6Back to School Hour
October 12, 13Picture Day
October 22, 23Field Trips
October 25Preschool Sunday
October 29, 30Harvest Festival
   
November 2, 3No School
November 11Holiday - Veteran's Day Holiday
November 19, 20First Progress Report sent home
November 23, 24, 25 Thanksgiving Feast
November 25AM Classes only, PWC schools early release
November 25-27Thanksgiving Break
   
December 17, 18Jesus Birthday - Class Celebration
December 21 (11am)Christmas Program - 4s & PreK am Classes
December 21 (2pm)Christmas Program - 4s & PreK pm Classes
December 22 (11am)   Christmas Program - Transition & 3s am & pm
December 23 - Jan 1Winter Break
   
January 4School Reopens (Mon)
January 18No School - Martin Luther King Day
January 20AM Classes only, PWC schools early release
January 27, 28Puppet Show
   
February 1No School – Teachers Workday
February 11, 12Pancake/Pizza Pajama Party Days
February 15No School - Presidents' Day
   
March 1, 2Second Progress Report sent home
March 18, 19Field Trip
March 21Preschool Sunday
March 25, 26Class Easter Celebration (Easter Sunday – April 4)
March 29-April 5Spring Break
   
April 19No School - Teachers Workday
   
May 3, 4LLVP Parent/Teacher Conference Days
May 6, 7Mothers' Day Tea
May 20, 21, 24Class Picnic & Last Day of Classes
May 25 (11am)End of Yr Program for 3s am & pm & Transition Classes
May 26 (11am)End of Yr Program for 4s & PreK am Classes
May 26 (2pm)End of Yr Program for 4s & PreK pm classes
May 27-28Teachers Workdays



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