As parents, we look for those special people and experiences that help shape and brighten the lives of our children. My husband and I are grateful every day that we found Harmony Preschool. Gina, the director, has decades of experience teaching children and has a special way of communicating with them that is honest, direct, loving, and firm. To be honest, for the first month or two that my daughter attended, I stayed a while after drop off to mingle and to observe the way that Gina and Gisele, her teacher's aid, respond to the children. When a child is upset, they are guided to take the time to think about what bothered them, how they feel, to take a breath (they take breaths!) and use their communication to quickly come to a solution. I tell you, for a bunch of 2, 3, and four year olds, these kids are happier, better behaved, and more mature than many adults I know! I've brought many, many of the skills I've learned through observing Gina and Gisele while they interact with the children home with me and I know that I'm a more effective parent because of it.
I toured many preschools (all at snack time because I think that's what really says a lot about the place!), and this was one of the only schools not offering any refined sugars or anything packaged. Gina is not only concerned with the children's feelings and communication skills, but also about their bodies. Nutrition is huge. There is a garden (YES! a garden!) where the children can watch the tomatoes get bigger and redder, watch carrots and peas and artichoke grow, and even eat some of these amazing vegetables at snack time. One of the kids favorite snacks is kale chips made with "magic" (shh, it's nutritional yeast, but they call it "magic" because it's so good). We brought that trick home, too! My toddler is as picky as any child (I think she could live off of pasta and butter, sigh), but Harmony has made her appreciate so many different vegetables. One time we went out to dinner with friends and she looked into her soup and said "YAY! kale!!" and my friends looked at me like my child was that rare vegetable loving alien, but no, she has just learned many good habits (and flavors) at preschool.
And the layout: how many preschools are primarily indoors? Many I saw had an indoor school room or series of school rooms and a play structure outside that gave the impression of outdoor play space. No way. This is not a preschool that has a cursory outdoors. This is a primarily-outdoors experience. There is a garden, swings (prime real estate at drop off time), a sensory table filled with anything from water to moon sand, many outdoor "stations" with different puzzles etc, and a cottage in the back where the kids can play dress-up. It's all a contained space with good sight lines, and Gina and Gisele have that magic ability of being everywhere-at-once and fully involved. Larry the lizard (and his many children) comes out for several sightings, there is a huge american grass-hopper, and the kids watch and follow the birthing of monarch butterflies every spring. The animals are part of the experience as much as the puzzles and sensory tables.
Just as the kitchen is the heart of the home, the garden is the heart of Harmony. The kids play there most of the morning before going in for story time.
There is a solid routine that is followed day to day, bringing the safety of structure, and there are different projects and ingenious crafts that are so fun and so unique that you might not see that structure running under it all.
As a last note, I saw the one negative comment below, and this prospective student's parent must have arrived after noon, which is the only time I've ever known Gina to open her gate, so that the parents can come in and pick up the kids at 12:30. There is no "free visit" time at all, never has been. Appointments are made carefully and always first thing in the morning because that's when Gina can show a prospective parent around! She is very clear about this and we all understand that it's an extraordinary, safe place to send our children. I am baffled at why someone would show up without an appointment to a preschool?
My daughter will be a happy member of the Harmony family as long as time allows, and my son will start there next year. As I mentioned in the first line, I really am grateful for this place. My husband and I look at each other at least twice a week and say "thank goodness for Harmony!" It brings structure, joy, confidence and communication skills to our kids in the most important forming years of their lives. read more
