Preschool classes are held in this Madison Valley home. DonÕt let the size of this brown home with its wooden gate deceive you; you will be surprised by how large the classroom and playground are! Children are taught Spanish at this location, and the school program is four hours per day.

All tours begin at 10:00 and end around 10:30. Tours will be offered on the following Fridays: October 26; November 9 and 16; December 7.

Please RSVP to Admissions@HarvardAvenueSchool.com. Tours are limited to six adults each day.

The school is located at 1612 Martin Luther King Way, between Pine and Olive Streets. Parking should be easy to find on Martin Luther King Way. Please take the path on the right side of the house back to the side gate.

Our tour will begin with quiet observation of the students during their morning circle time. Please refrain from chatting or asking questions during this time as such ÒexcitementÓ easily distracts our young students! The teacher will introduce herself to you and answer your questions while the children eat snack. Following this brief chat with the teacher, we will take a quick tour of the rest of the classroom and play yard and allow time at the end to address any remaining questions you may have.

Toddler program for children aged eighteen to thirty months at time of enrollment. The younger children tend to come two days a week. There are up to ten children with two teachers in each class. Children are taught French and the school program is four hours per day.

All tours begin at 10:00 and end around 10:30. Tours will be offered on the following Wednesdays: October 24; November 7 and 17; December 5 and 12. Tours also will be held on Friday, November 9 and 16.

Please RSVP to Admissions@HarvardAvenueSchool.com. Tours are limited to four adults each day.

The school is located at 1023 32 Avenue East in Madison Park, one block north of East Madison Street. Street parking is readily available. (Note: please try to avoid parking in front of the neighboring home with the blue shingled house and the lovely yard and white fence, by specific request from the owner)

Our tour will begin with quiet observation of the students during their morning recess or free time and music or French circle. Please refrain from chatting or asking questions during this time as such ÒexcitementÓ easily distracts our young students! The teacher will excuse herself from the group to introduce herself and answer your questions. Following this brief chat with the teacher, we will provide time to address any remaining questions you may have.

Pre-kindergarten age requirements: There is a birthday cut off date for our pre-kindergarten program: children must be four by September 1 st to join the pre-kindergarten class.

Preschool and Toddler program age guidelines: It is strongly recommended that children be three years old to join one of our preschool programs. Children who are two and two and a half typically join a toddler class.

The following are a few distinctions to help you understand the different expectations of the preschool program compared to the toddler classroom. Please try your best to determine how your child will be behaving in the following areas when he/she would be beginning school with us (in summer or fall 2008).

Age: We strongly prefer that children be at least three years old when they begin preschool. We have, on occasion, accepted children in the Capitol Hill and Madison Valley preschool programs as young as two and a half if the child is relatively mature and using the toilet 100% on his/her own. Please be sure your child is able to identify the sensation of needing to use the toilet on his/her own and follow though with all necessary steps.

Social skills: While learning to play is a skill the children are constantly developing, children beginning our preschool program should be in the habit of sharing toys and materials. Preschoolers are expected to be able to play cooperatively with other children and use their words rather than taking toys from other children or being physical in an effort to have their way. If your child is still in the stage of taking toys and books from other children, he/she should probably join the toddler class where we make allowances for this behavior and help the children learn to master this impulse.

Care of self: The preschool teachers will expect a certain degree of independence when it comes to self-care. The preschool student should be capable of taking on/off his or her own clothing, such as coats, hats, mittens, as well as taking on/off his/her clothes to use the toilet, including tights and underwear. While the teachers are happy to help a child who is wearing a certain outfit (such as a pair of overalls which may on occasion be a challenge) the preschool student generally should be able to undress on his/her own. The preschool child should also carry his/her own personal items such as lunch boxes and art work, and be able to determine what belongs to him/her when asked direct questions such as “is this your coat?” or “is this your lunchbox?”.

Two Step Directions: Children in the preschool class should be able to follow two-step directions such as “please take off your coat and wash your hands” or “go and get your lunch and take a seat at the table.”

Communication: The preschool students should be able to communicate their basic needs to a teacher and a peer. If he/she needs to use the bathroom or have a drink of water he/she should be able to ask the teacher for help.

Sitting: Preschool students will be asked to sit for periods of up to 20 minutes for circle time, activities, and lunch. While many children are able to do this better than their parents might think, if you know from experience that your child cannot sit still for short periods of time than he/she should probably be in the toddler class where the expectations for this are not as high.

Mouthing/Oral Fixation: Children enrolled in the preschool program should not put things in their mouth other than food. If your child still tends to mouth things to explore their texture, then he/she will be a better fit in the toddler class where items are sanitized daily for this purpose, and there are no items that could pose choking hazards to your young child.

We hope this helps you to understand the differences between our toddler and preschool programs. Please don't hesitate to ask if you have further questions!