 Chippewa
Nature Center (CNC) and West Midland Family Center (WMFC)
are partnering to
pilot a nature-based
preschool
beginning fall 2007, one of only 12 others in the
country. Nature Preschool will offer
4-year olds a
high quality learning environment that will meet their
developmental needs
while initiating them into a
life-long,
meaningful
relationship with the natural
world.
This
partnership combines CNC’s strong commitment
to
environmental education and active learning with WMFC’s
commitment to providing children with developmentally
appropriate education. Based upon seasonal changes,
the curriculum includes art, music, social and
cognitive skill development, gross and fine motor
skill development, natural science exploration and of
course, daily outdoor discovery of CNC’s 1,150 acres
of diverse ecosystems.
As one
might imagine, outdoor experiences are the cornerstone
of Nature Preschool. The children will experience the
freedom of exploration by discovering the wonders of
the natural world. Nature will be used as both the
theme and material in the education of the child. The
goal is to develop children’s ability to work
independently and cooperatively, and to act in a
caring and responsible way towards their environment,
themselves and others.
The
inaugural year of Nature Preschool will be offered to
4-year olds, Monday through Thursday, for a half-day
program. The morning session will be 9:00-11:30 a.m.,
and the afternoon session will be 12:30-3:00 p.m. The
’07-’08 school year will run September 10 through
May 15. The Preschool will follow the Bullock Creek
School District calendar. Tuition for the school year
is $3,000. Full and partial scholarships are
available. Families that meet the Federally Funded
Free and Reduced School Lunch Guidelines will be
awarded full scholarships through a grant received by
West Midland Family Center. Just as the natural world
is full of diversity, this preschool program is
expected to have a rich diversity of students,
including economic diversity.
Tuition
payments may be made monthly or in one lump sum. There
is a one time, non-refundable registration fee of $75.
A non-refundable payment of $250 is due within 10 days
of acceptance, and is applied to the second semester’s
tuition. Parent involvement is critical to the
development of young children, thus we encourage
parents to volunteer twice monthly. Also, because of
the value of parent involvement, the tuition includes
two home visits and two parent-teacher conferences.
We are
excited to have the chance to nurture these
preschoolers’ hearts and minds, and foster their
love of nature. For more information, contact Rachel
Larimore, Chippewa Nature Center’s Director of
Education, at 989-631-0830 or rlarimore@chippewanaturecenter.org.
Download
a registration
packet
Contact
us via email
or call (989) 631-0830 to reserve a space today!
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