QUSTIONS?
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the cost?
Tuition for the 2024-2025 school year is:
$850 for the 2 Day Class
$1050 for the 3 Day Class
$1850 for the 5 Day Class
Tuition is due before the first class of the year. You may choose to pay month installments, due by the 5th of each month of the school year, September to May. If you choose to pay tuition in monthly installments, the prices are as follows:
2 Day Class - $95 a month
3 Day Class - $117 a month
5 Day Class - $206 a month
You are required to pay the full amount each month regardless of your child's planned or unplanned absences. If you end up moving or need to end your academic year early, please give at least 2 weeks notice so your position can be filled.
Do you offer any discounts?
For the 2024 to 2025 school year, if you pay the tuition up front, rather make monthly payments, you receive a discount. The 2 Day Class tuition is $850, but if you pay the full balance at the beginning of the school year, you can take $50 off and pay only $800. The 3 Day Class Tuition is $1050, and if you pay the full balance before the school year starts, you can take off $50 and only pay $1000. The 5 Day Class goes from $1850 to $1800. If that doesn’t work for you, no problem. For your convivence, I also allow monthly installments for tuition. However, there are no discounts available on that option.
How do we enroll?
You need to do 2 things: Fill out the enrollment form and pay the enrollment fee. There is a $60 enrollment fee that includes a preschool t-shirt and a subscription the preschool magazine. This is due at the time of registration. Once this fee has been paid and the enrollment form turned in, I will evaluate which applications I am able to accommodate for the upcoming year. I give first priority to returning students and families and then fill any remaining spots, taking into account who enrolled first. If you child’s application is not accepted, the $60 enrollment fee will be refunded and you can choose to be kept on a waiting list to be notified if any positions open up.
What does my enrollment fee include?
Most importantly, your $60 deposit saves your child's spot in the class. This is why it is non-refundable, once you have been accepted and fully enrolled. The fee is also used for maintenance and to purchase supplies and snacks. Your child also gets a subscription to Scholastic's preschool classroom magazine! We get two issues a month that we read as a class and do an accompanying lesson. Then at home you get to enjoy online resources and homework sheets. Your enrollment fee also covers the cost of a preschool t-shirt for your child!
Will my child learn to read?
It depends on the child. Discovery Adventures Preschool is academically focused and provides high-quality education. Some children will be reading by the end of the year, but others will not be ready yet. Every child develops at different rates. And that's okay! Whether your child begins reading or not, rest assured that we are doing the important work of laying a solid foundation that will allow he or she to be successful in a way that honors their individual nature.
Will we have homework?
Your child will have an optional, but highly beneficial homework assignment that you can support them in completing at home. I keep homework fun, engaging and age appropriate. Much of the homework comes straight from our language arts program, SEEL; other times I'll send home a Scholastic magazine or easy reader. I also give ideas of math and science activities you can do at home. Homework is always optional! I do highly recommend enrolling your child in the free program UpStart, as it’s 15 min online learning activities beautifully add to what we learn in class.
What are you expectations about parent volunteers?
Volunteers can make a wonderful positive impact on a child's education! You can volunteer in a variety of ways so you can choose what you feel most comfortable with from reading with students to helping with an art center to making copies at home. Parents are always welcome! However it is never required as I know a lot of parents are unable to volunteer in the classroom for various reasons, and that’s okay too.
How do you handle behavior issues?
I put a lot of intention, thought and effort into setting a positive environment that fosters appropriate school behavior and preventing issues ahead of time where possible. I give lots of positive reinforcement, keep the lesson pace age appropriate and provide lots of opportunities for the kids to actively participate in learning. I set clear expectations and make sure the students understand how to behave in the different situations they’ll encounter in class (whole class lessons, self-directed learning centers, snack time, etc.). And students need to be taught and given the tools to make it easy to behave appropriately and how to solve protentional problems. Our classroom rules are: I can be safe! I can be kind! I can follow directions! I can do my best! If your student is struggling with their behavior, I generally do the following in order (unless the severity of the situation warrants that I skip the first few steps): verbal reminder and/or redirection, ask them to take a break in our Calm Down Corner, discuss with them what happened and why and what we can do next time, apologize if needed, return to play and learning. I try to let parents know if their child struggled with their behavior that day and of course inform them of any bigger issues like pushing or hitting. While it is rare that I have students with more violent behavior, if this does happen, the students parents will be notified and we’ll work together to help them make safer choices. If the behavior it severe, we may need to expel the child from the school to protect the other children and teacher.
Will there be any field trips?
Field trips are a wonderful way for our little ones to learn and explore and provide great opportunities for growth! We enjoy a minimum of four field trips a year. We have had great experiences at the library, the Treehouse Museum, the Discovery Gateway Museum, Black Island Farms, the fire station, the police station, and Antelope Island! Each year we repeat a couple of our favorite field trips and do a few new ones! Parents pay for each field trip their child attends, with prices ranging from free to $4. Parents are responsible for providing transportation to and from the field trips. We love parent chaperones and moms, dads, grandparents, and any adult that is special to your child, are all invited! Siblings are also welcome to most field trips as long as a parent stays with them.
Will you celebrate holidays and birthdays?
Learning is a joy! Celebrating holidays and our students on their birthdays and at graduation helps reinforce that important attitude. On their birthday, students get a small gift, can wear a birthday crown or cape during class, get to be the line leader, and choose the story we read that day. They may bring a story from home to read to the class themselves or to have me read aloud. If desired, students may bring a treat or small gift to share with classmates. On major holidays, we enjoy a small party during the last hour of class. Most of our games and activities during the party reinforce learning goals we are working on. At the end of the year, we celebrate our students with a simple graduation that highlights the students.
What if my child isn’t fully potty trained yet?
I don’t change diapers/pull ups/dirty underwear or clothes and I do not go into the bathroom alone with a student. While kids need to be able to handle bathroom needs on their own, I completely understand that kids develop at different rates and occasional "potty accidents" will occur, and it’s no big deal. I just hand the kids a sack to put their dirty clothes in and then the parent will be called to bring a new pair of clothes and help the child clean themselves up. I have a few students who consistently wear pull-ups which is fine with me. I figure as long as I don’t have to clean up poop and pee, it’s none of my business what type of underwear they are wearing.
What happens during "circle time"?
Circle time begins our day in the best way! It's a great transition between home and school and sets the tone for the class. We greet each other by name in fun and varied ways. We preview what we'll be learning and discuss our goals for the day. There will always be both academic and character goals. Although the content of this time will change, there will always be physical activity and music integrated in. A positive affirmation/ intention is also offered at the start of every class.
How do you communicate with parents?
I believe that frequent communication is important to a successful school experience. To keep parents informed I keep updated the schedule and calendar on this site and in the preschool. I send out emails when I have lengthier messages, and a short text after most classes to let you know what homework you can do that will support what we did in class. We do a parent teacher conference in February where we talk about your child's progress, strengths, and areas to work on. You'll also find I'm easy to talk to before or after class or through text, email or over the phone.
