I hope everyone has been enjoying the great weather we have been blessed with this summer. It is hard to believe that school is right around the corner! We have been working diligently over the summer to get ready to welcome our wonderful First Presbyterian Preschool families on September 4. While the list of summer activities is long, some of what we have been doing include having our classrooms painted, attending education workshops, meeting with other educators within the community, and hiring new staff to support our growing program. It will be very exciting to watch God at work this next year!
We have a new Enrollment Manager at the Preschool, Suzanne Carberry. Suzanne has been teaching at First Pres Preschool for five years in the 3-, 4- and 5-year old classrooms. She will now only be teaching the 4-year old class, as well as be our Enrollment Manager. We could not ask for a better-suited person to be the ambassador of our preschool. She exudes warmth and has a tremendous knowledge of our program; any new family would be happy to be welcomed by her.
We also have new staff coming on board this year and I am looking forward to introducing them in next month’s update. These teachers are exceptionally qualified and exemplify the qualities and characteristics we look for in our teaching staff. It will be a seamless transition with this amazing group of women going forward. Our classes continue to fill as we have new families moving to the area and selecting First Presbyterian Preschool as their child’s preschool. Thank you to all of those who are recommending our program! We continue to receive positive feedback on the new format and programs we are implementing for next year. These are good signs of new life and growth.
In terms of other changes, we are considering ways to create a holistic program incorporating Parent Education events, and coffee mornings for parents and younger children to stay and build connections in these formative years here at the church. We will be offering events for parents not only during the daytime, but evening events as well. I have also been reaching out and connecting with other educators in the area on topics about curriculum in both the Lake Forest and Lake Bluff School districts. Jeff McHugh, Cherokee Principal, and Kellie Bae, Lake Bluff Curriculum Director and Assistant Principal have been extremely generous with their time and assistance.
Lastly, the preschool website has been under some construction as we are developing a stronger brand strategy for our online presence. Feel free to look around the website, and find the exciting changes we’ve been working on!
Continue to enjoy the rest of these brilliant summer days!