Looking outside the window of the classroom at Innisfail Community Preschool there are natural wonders to see and explore.
A few hundred metres away a lush forest is spread over six acres, perfect for a nature walk. Sometimes deer will come by, giving another excellent opportunity to learn about the wonders of nature.
This new Innisfail Community Preschool, for children aged one to four, is designed to be completely different from any other education institution for preschoolers the town has ever seen. It is not in any way just another daycare centre.
“We want to work on developing a whole child,” said director Miranda Hale. “It’s like starting a house. You first build the foundation, and then the walls. You need a whole foundation to build a child.
“You can’t have them succeed on one skill,” she added. “They need all the skills.”
The preschool is located inside the Innisfail Baptist Church at 5204 Woodland Rd. Its space includes a large 3,000 sq.-ft. gymnasium that gives children an opportunity to excel in their gross motor skill development. And of course there is plenty of natural space outside to further enhance their skills amidst the wonders of nature.
The unique carefully designed preschool curriculum is based on a concept used in the group of schools created by Hale’s mother-in-law Carole Hale in Calgary.
“It has been successful for thousands of children in the Calgary area,” said Hale, whose school will operate five days a week when it officially opens its door Sept. 12.
Teachers of the three and four-year-old students focus on four main developmental skills: emotional and social growth, intellectual development, fine motor skill development and gross motor skill development. It is designed to teach young children such essential basics as the ABCs, writing their name, learning how to use scissors, creating and designing artwork and crafts, and enhancing motor skills in the gymnasium.
Classes are two and a half hours in length to give children time to circulate through the various classroom activity centers. Hale believes interacting in such subjects as music, science, creative movement and dance will help create the "whole child", and have each one of them feel good about themselves and their abilities.
And then there is the Mom & Tot class for one and two-year-olds, the first of it's kind in Innisfail. This hour-long program encourages group and action play while parents have a chance to connect with the community. The school also offers Rockin’ Tots, a five week, one-hour program for one and two-year-olds created to expand a child’s ability to talk, play, dance and sing.
“The children follow a daily routine. We are very organized,” said Hale. “We really prepare them for their school career.”
Hale is not an instructor but she has past experience working as a teacher’s aid at her mother-in-law’s Calgary schools. However, each class at the Innisfail preschool will have a fully qualified teacher and aid to guide students through the educational experience. All teachers will have infant/child CPR and first aid training and will have undergone a criminal background check.
“When I interview someone for a position here they have to truly enjoy children,” said Hale. “I want to hire someone I want my son to be taught by.”
Although the preschool is located inside the church the organization has no affiliation and is not faith-based.
“We welcome everyone. We are community based,” said Hale.
To enter a three or four-year-old child into the pre-school there is a $40 non-refundable registration fee, which includes a school bag and t-shirt. The cost for three days a week of instruction for a four-year-old is $100 a month. Three-year-old children receive two days of schooling a week and the cost is $80 a month.
The fee for one and two-year-old children is $40 every five weeks.
For more information contact Hale at (403) 396-5166 or visit the preschool’s web site at www.innisfailcommunitypreschool.com
