Philosophy
The preschool program is founded on the following beliefs about children:

• Parents are the most pervasive and influential teachers of their children.
• Curriculum is everything that a child experiences, from the time they get up in the morning until the time they go to bed in the evening.
• Each child’s uniqueness must be respected and fostered.
• Children grow and develop at individual rates that are often unique and unrelated to their calendar age.
• Children need curriculum that begins with what they already know and moves slowly from the concrete to the abstract.
• Children learn best through direct involvement with the environment using a hands-on approach.
• Learning is what children do, not what is done to them. They must be active and directly involved in their own learning.
• Play enables the learner to make sense of their environment and is the essential ingredient in the work and learning of young children.

Enrollment process
Preschool enrollment for 4 and 5 year olds starts in January for the fall session of that year.

Prospective families wishing to tour the center will be invited to do so when preschool is in session. Their child is welcome to visit at this time. St. Norbert feels strongly that the program speaks for itself and the best information is based on this visit.

Families currently enrolled in the Children’s Center will be given first choice of morning or afternoon spots. There will be no additional fee required for these families to enroll their child in preschool, as the annual registration fee of $50 will be charged in September.

The prospective families that have been on the waiting list will be notified first and their children will be enrolled in the order they were placed on that list. Each family will be given the choice of morning or afternoon preschool. Once all families are on the waiting list having had a chance to enroll or decline enrollment, telephone calls will be taken to fill the remainder of the spots.

Community children will be charged the $50 registration fee and a $200 deposit for holding their spot. The deposit will be credited to each family’s account at the end of the academic year in April/May. If a family does not finish out the academic year, the $200 deposit will be forfeited.

Families can use preschool only or elect to use childcare in addition to preschool. When families opt to use childcare in addition to preschool, care will be provided 51 weeks a year. Childcare hours are 7:15 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Preschool-only families will only have care the 14 weeks each semester that preschool is in session. Preschool is included in full-time and morning or afternoon childcare. If a family has elected to use childcare in addition to preschool, a separate registration fee is not required.

After enrollment
Once the enrollment form, registration fee and deposit are received, enrollment packets will be mailed to each family by April 15.

These forms are expected back by June 15. The only exception would be for a child’s physical form. This form must be returned to the center by the night of open house which is generally scheduled the Tuesday evening before preschool begins. Families will be notified by mail of the open house date.

Once a family enrolls their child, they are welcome to visit several times during the spring and summer sessions so that their child has an easier transition to care at St. Norbert College. This is especially important if it is the child’s first school experience.

The teacher in charge of preschool has an advanced degree with over 20 years of experience working with children and families. She is very eager to work together with you and your child in order to insure a successful preschool experience, as well as a great transition to kindergarten.

Teacher education and psychology
The St. Norbert College Curriculum and Instruction course is taught in conjunction with the preschool at the Children’s Center. College students from the class spend 4 hours per week in preschool; therefore, the adult-child ratios can be as high as 1:3. For this reason, your child will be engaged in many valuable one-on-one relationships.

Because the Children’s Center is a lab school, there will be many other students from the education and psychology disciplines that use the center for coursework. This enriches your child’s experience and allows the college students to gain much needed insight into child development.

For children that are 4 on or around September 1

Offered five days a week, either:
9:00-11:00 a.m. or
1:00-3:00 p.m.

In session 14 weeks a semester, according to the St. Norbert College academic calendar

Cost is $50 per week, billed monthly

For more information about the preschool program, contact:

Bonnie Lueck
Director of the Children's Center
(920) 403-3013
bonnie.lueck@snc.edu