Fairfax Presbyterian Preschool

We believe that each day of a child’s life should lead toward the growth and development of a healthy and contributing member of society. To accomplish this, our program provides rich and varied learning opportunities which contribute to a child’s social, emotional, physical, creative, intellectual, and spiritual growth. Our program is based on the understanding that a child learns naturally through play; we believe that play is the most developmentally appropriate means for young children to learn.

We offer classes that meet the needs of several different age groups. All of our preschool children attend Music and Movement once or twice each week and attend Chapel once every month. Children in the four-day and five-day classes also attend Kindercorner (Spanish class) once each week. In addition, the entire preschool has the opportunity to participate in special events, such as field trips, puppet shows, and special days such as pajama day, hat day, and color days, as well as enjoy other resource programs that add exciting variety to our curriculum.

Each class is led by a paid, experienced teacher who meets National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) qualifications. Parents also play an important role through the Parent Participation program, where parents or other caregivers assist in their child’s classroom on a rotational basis. The Four-Day 4 Year Old and Pre-Kindergarten classes have a ratio of six children to one adult. All other classes have a ratio of five children to one adult.

Our staff encourages children to be responsible for themselves and to begin to see how their actions affect others. Teachers use positive reinforcement methods, redirection, and discussion to lead to self-discipline. If a child is out of control or simply needs time away from the group, it may be necessary to remove him/her from the immediate situation for a few minutes before bringing him/her back together with his/her peers. A child will never be left alone or unsupervised, humiliated or subjected to verbal abuse, shamed or frightened, or denied food or rest.

The Preschool attempts to follow the same calendar as Fairfax County Public Schools with the exception of the start of the school year, some teacher work days, and the last day of the school year.