Info about the upcoming Ashburn MOMS Clubs’ preschool forum is quickly spreading through various moms groups throughout the county. The announcement follows.

The MOMS Clubs® of the Ashburn Area are pleased to present:

Ashburn Preschool Forum

Saturday, January 23, 2010
9:00am – 12:00pm
The Mills Recreation Center
43895 Grottoes Drive in Ashburn Village

Are you considering preschool for your child?

Come get the parents’ perspective on our local schools!
Information about the preschools in our area will be available and moms with children in the various schools will be speaking about their personal experience with the teachers and schools.
Open to ALL Ashburn Area parents!

For more information, please contact MOMSClub@tjdjmail. com

**** We’re currently looking for parents of children in the preschools to speak at the forum. This is the 4th year we’ve held the forum and the people attending always seem very grateful to have some “inside knowledge” about the schools.
Here are the schools we hope to include at the forum, so if you’d like to volunteer to speak for about 5 minutes about your experience with one of these schools please email momsclub@tjdjmail. com. We also hope to have some of the special needs programs represented so if you are willing to share your experience with those we’d love to have you. Your participation would be very much appreciated!

A Child’s Place Preschool
Arcola Christian Preschool
Ashburn Children’s Center
Ashburn Village Country Day School
Audubon Nature Preschool
Bean Tree Learning
The Boyd School
Briar Woods Early Learning Lab (Preschool at the Woods)
Broad Run Early Learning Lab
Busy Bees (Kari Vance)
Celebration
Chesterbrook Academy
Christian Fellowship School
Classroom of Discovery
Claude Moore Preschool (formerly Sterling Annex)
Discovery Oaks Academy
Dulles South Preschool
Fit 2 Learn
Goddard School (Belmont Greene)
Goddard School (Ashburn)
Golden Pond
Growing Minds (Judi Ratcliffe)
Heaven Sent Christian Preschool
Hope Christian Preschool
Kids Under Construction
KinderCare Learning Center
KinderWorks in Brambleton (formerly Winwood)
Little Learners Academy
Little Sprouts Preschool
Loudoun Country Day School
Minnieland
Montessori Academy at Belmont Greene
Montessori Children’s House of Loudoun
My Favorite Place Preschool
Open Arms Christian Child Development Center
School of Spanish (Magnolia Inmon)
Sha’are Shalom Rosie Uran Jewish Education Center
South Riding Children’s Center
St. David’s Episcopal Preschool
Sterling Annex Preschool
Stone Bridge Early Learning Lab
Virginia Academy/Ark Preschool
Willow Montessori
Winnie the Pooh
Winwood Children’s Center

]]> http://activefamilyservices.com/blog/2010/01/09/ashburn-moms-club-annual-preschool-forum/feed/ 5 http://activefamilyservices.com/blog/2009/01/23/ashburn-moms-clubs-annual-preschool-forum/ http://activefamilyservices.com/blog/2009/01/23/ashburn-moms-clubs-annual-preschool-forum/#comments Fri, 23 Jan 2009 14:21:46 +0000 admin http://activefamilyservices.com/blog/?p=655

I have never been to the Ashburn MOMS club annual preschool forum, but their spreadsheet cataloging local preschools and the scribbled notes of parents who attend are hot commodities passed around moms groups throughout Loudoun County each year. Here’s the info they passed along announcing their upcoming event!

My son has been attending St. John’s Preschool for about a month now and he loves it.

Registration time has come and gone so I do not know if there are any openings, but here are the details:

– 3 yrs (by 9/30) morning (8:45–11:30) or afternoon (12:15–3:00) 2 days/week (T/Th)
– 4 yrs (by 9/30) morning (8:45–11:30) or afternoon (12:15–3:00) 3 days/week (MWF)Once again, my mantra in sharing this preschool information is to remind folks to double check everything with the school!

Here’s what I love. Most importantly, the staff is kind and loving. Also key in my book is that parents are welcome and appreciated in the classroom (even with siblings in tow). Plus my son can now call his grandparents and godparents to show off his “Hail Mary” skills… (he calls it the “full of grace” prayer).

We had a wonderful visit to Mother Earth Playschool a few weeks ago.

As with previous preschool research posts please check the school’s actual website to confirm details, but here are the basics:
Mother Earth Playschool is a small home-based. mixed age (2–5) playschool that includes yoga instruction. You can choose from a 2 day (T/Th, $175/ month) or 3 day (MWF, $250/ month) mixed age morning (9am-12pm) program.

The director/ teacher Jennifer Stow is wonderful — she is kind and loving and really does a great job of gently encouraging kids to stay engaged in group activities which included songs, stories, yoga, painting, and even playing with shaving cream (and that’s just on the day we visited!). Her space is open and comfortable — there’s a tree painted in the bathroom, a doll area, tables with small toys and even a rice table. My kids and I spent an hour participating in her program and have been playing yoga class and flying like butterflies almost every day since.

The location (right on Route 7 business just a few miles west of route 9) and is easily accessible from Leesburg and Purcellville, not far from the Natural Mercantile Organic Grocery store.

The Ashburn MOMS club is hosting a preschool forum next weekend. Check out this Leesburg today article for more info.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2008

I know I am not the only one in town looking into preschools for next year, so thought I’d share my research. By next year I hope to have a more sophisticated tool for sharing this info, but for now… I hope you find my notes helpful!

Douglass Community Center Liscensed Preschool

WARNING: This info is not comprehensive and I can’t guarantee complete accuracy. Contact the preschool to confirm all info and avoid confusion!

Visits

There is not a scheduled open house, but you can schedule a visit to the school by calling the center. They prefer that you come without your children to avoid disrupting classes.

Enrollment

To sign up new students you need to fill out a simple form (one per family) between 2/11/08 and 2/22/08. You can fill out the form in person, but you may find it online (not posted yet). You will be entered into a lottery for available spaces. A drawing will be held on 3/3/08 to determine who gets in.

Existing students have a separate lottery prior to this process. Anyone trying to enroll after 2/22 will be entered on a wait list.

If you are chosen in the lottery you need to pay a nonrefundable $45 registration fee hold your spot. More detailed registration paperwork is completed during the summer, at least a month before classes begin (you would need to commit by 08/2008). Monthly tuition is usually due the 15th of the month prior. There is a $15 fee for late payment.

Programs

When I asked if the programs are play-based I was told that they do lots of learning here… letters, numbers, holidays,social skills, etc. This is a small preschool with only one class per age group. Each class has about 15 spaces and is lead by a head teacher and an assistant. They follow a curriculum and have clear goals laid out in their parent handbook.

Programs by Age
Age cutoff is 9/30/08.
2.5/3 yr olds, 2 day, T/ Th, 9:30–11:30, $100/ month*
3/3.5 yr olds, 3 day, MWF, 9–11:30, $155/ month*
3.5/4 yr olds, 3 day, MWF 12:30–3:00, $155/ month*
4 yr olds, 3 day, T/Th/F, 12:15–2:45, $155/ month*
4.5/5 yr old enrichment, 5 day, M-F, 8:45–11:15, $260/ month*

* All fees are for 2007-08. They will change for 2008-09. Some scholarships are available.

Reviews

The word on the street (at least in my circles) is that this is great preschool. The folks I know or have heard from by email seem to be very happy with their programs.

I have visited the school. During my visit I met with the receptionist who was very helpful and the director who was enthusiastic and professional.

If anyone gets differing info please let me know so I can update and correct!