Does my child have to be potty-trained to attend VGP?
No child has to be potty-trained to attend VGP. Diaper changing supplies should be sent to school in their child’s backpack each day, if necessary. Only certified teachers change diapers.
Does our family have to be members of First Church in order to attend VGP?
You do not need to be a member of First Church to attend VGP. Membership at the First Church allows you to register your child a day earlier than the general public.
Is there an opportunity for parent involvement throughout the year?
There are MANY opportunities for parents and extended family members to be involved throughout the school year. Here are several great ways to participate and support the school.
- Parents, caregivers and other family members can serve as a volunteer in the classroom on a given day (sign-ups are posted monthly.)
- Share a hobby, collection, musical or artistic talent, or demonstrate what they do for a job.
- Assist with a special art project, cooking or storytelling.
- Support our fundraisers (Usborne Cards for a Cause in the fall, our spring raffle and online-auction in March and Mabel’s Labels at any time.)
- Donate items from our teacher-curated Amazon Wishlist.
- Volunteer to help cut or prepare projects at home.
- Join us on a local field trip (Clearview Farm in September and/or Davis Farmland in April)
- Attend the fall Family Night (October)
- Participate in our town-wide ‘Spooky Walk’ (October)
- Attend our Holiday program (December)
- Bring the whole family to our Spaghetti Supper and Children’s Art Show (March)
- Cheer on our preschoolers at the annual spring Field Day (May)
- Attend our end of year Recognition Day program (May)
- Join our Parent Advisory Board
Do you have rolling admission?
Following registration in early January, we offer rolling admission on a first-come, first-served basis depending on available space and receipt of registration paperwork and the nonrefundable registration fee.
Can my child start school as soon as they turn 2.9 years old?
Once you successfully register your child (complete the registration form and pay the nonrefundable registration fee) your child can start after they turn two years and nine months old. While most students start with the new school year in September, we do allow rolling admission for children reaching 2.9 years during the school year, if space allows.
How much is tuition?
Tuition is set by the Parent Advisory Board every spring, making every attempt possible to keep tuition costs stable and affordable for families in our community. Please contact the director for current tuition rates. Paid tuition and registration fees are nonrefundable.
What does my child need to bring with them to school each day?
Please bring a backpack or tote bag containing a change of clothes (including shoes, if possible), and diaper/pull-up/wipes (if necessary.) Please also send weather-appropriate outer layers for outdoor play. A warm coat, snow boots, snow pants, hat and mittens are necessary until the daily temperature is sufficient and/or snow and mud are gone from the playground. Unfortunately, we will not be able to go to the playground if not all children are prepared. We ask that you label any clothing or other items that your child may remove during the day. To that end, Mabel’s Labels is a wonderful company that makes durable and customizable labels, that our VGP parents highly recommend! As a bonus, you can support Village Green Preschool under their “support a fundraiser” tab and VGP will receive a small percentage of the sales.
How do I know if my child is ready to go to preschool?
There are some basic guidelines to know if your child is ready. Thankfully, the expectations are generally broad because there is so much growth happening so quickly at preschool. Ask yourself these following questions and if the majority of responses is “yes” then they are likely ready to start this new adventure with you.
- Can your child follow simple directions from someone who is not a parent?
- Do they want to play with other children?
- Are they able to focus on a task?
- Can they be without you for short periods of time? You can help your child prepare to be away from you by talking about their new routine and letting them know that you will be back to pick them up after a fun day learning with new friends.
- Do they have basic self-care skills like drinking from a cup, eating with utensils, and getting dressed independently? They should be fine if they know how to ask for help.
- Are they potty trained? Your child does not need to be, but some children feel more confident in general when they are (however, this is not something that should be forced).
- They have a general expectation of what preschool will be like. Reading books about preschool, singing simple songs (“Wheels on the Bus” or the alphabet song), incorporating basic color, letter or number recognition into daily activities.
Additional Questions?
Please contact the preschool with any further questions!