I was looking for a preschool that wasn't a daycare. All the preschools I found are just that,…read moredaycare with education. I don't need my child to eat snacks, play at recess, or nap on my dime. Being a stay at home mom, I can take care of this stuff. What I need is a professional preschool teacher who knows how to hold my child's attention enough to teach her something. I can teach my daughter too, but after a few minutes she goofs off and just doesn't take me too seriously.
I found the perfect solution! At Planet Preschool, Tamara Jenkins, who's been a preschool teacher for 15 years. You might better know her as the "Kindergarten Coach." As of almost a year, she decided to open up her own preschool in her own home. She transformed her lower floor of her Kapolei home into a full fledged preschool. Her methods are to learn through play. Children will do art, play, sing with a specific curriculum in mind, so kids don't realize their learning because they're essentially playing. Genius idea!
Mrs. Jenkins believes each child is different and thus learns at a different pace so she guides her teaching specific to each child's pace. If one child already knows her ABC's, then there's no need to waste a ton of time on it, so she'll move on to reading for that particular child. Her goal is to prepare your child for kindergarten but won't stop there. If your child wants to read or beyond, Mrs. Jenkins will take your child as far as your child wants to go. Currently she's got about 5 students in each class, so there's plenty of one on one time for each child. Each class will have a maximum of 10 students. You have a choice of either Tues and Thurs classes, Mon, Wed, and Fri classes, or daily classes. All classes start at 9am or 12:30pm. She's thinking about starting an afternoon class. I believe she's also starting a Kinderjam, a mommy and me class that incorporates "fun, exciting, and high-energy Music and Movement program that emphasizes the kinesthetic and tactile learning of pre-academic skills and concepts while promoting positive parent engagement."
I was so desperate to find a preschool program that's not a daycare and not a parent participation preschool that was affordable. I feel so fortunate that I've finally found it! School tuition is about to increase a bit unless you enroll by May. Still affordable, but every bit of savings count. Because she's holding classes at her own home, that's why she can afford to offer classes such a low tuition rate. She's licensed so there's no need to worry. She doesn't have the fancy computers or traditional workbooks of typical preschool, but she makes it work. Check it out!
