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Frequently asked Questions about the Preschool Curriculum

As parents take the plunge into the world of preschool there is a lot of pressure to make the right decision about choosing the right program.  After all, this is the first step in your child’s journey through the educational system.  Parents sincerely want what is best for their child.  No one wants school to be a struggle for their child in later years.  As adults, we immediately think the best indicator of future school success is a child’s ability to read, write, and do math.  And as adults, we want to see tangible evidence of progress in these areas, which to us looks like worksheets with letter tracings and math problems.

We need to stop and check ourselves, however.  This is preschool.  Writing, math, and reading don’t look the same in preschool as they do in elementary grades.  In fact, if one sees such worksheets in preschool, it is worth questioning the developmental appropriateness of the program.  Learning must be relevant for all children, and quite honestly worksheets hold little relevance for the majority of the preschool set.  In a young 5’s or Kindergarten program, one may begin to see more “recognizable” evidence of learning, but in a three or four year old program, one has to look a little differently to understand what is being seen.  Young children learn by being provided with rich experiences and exposure to concepts that they can explore, investigate, and experiment with.  By doing so, they “learn how to learn” and they prime their brains for future learning in academic areas that build upon their experience base.    And therein lays the difference between learning and training.  Learning is relevant and builds upon itself.  Training is the performance of meaningless, rote tasks that look impressive but have no understanding behind them to give them any substance.

Below is a link to some commonly asked questions we get about our program.  None of these questions are good or bad.  They are just a reflection of the pressure well-intentioned parents feel as they make the first of many decisions regarding their children’s education.

Frequently asked Questions

Courtney Aldrich can be reached at the Preschool, (734) 433-1938, for further questions about the curriculum.

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There are still openings for preschool classes!

Welcome to the Chelsea Children’s Cooperative Preschool, where both the child and the parent participate. You are a shareholder in the school; an equal owner with all the other parents enrolled for the coming school year and because of this, play an important role in the success of the Co-op.

The cooperative experience will be different for each of us as we are different from one another. Our main objective, though, is universal – our children. The goal for our preschool is to give your child a head start for the future and to help them in developing skills needed for their continuing education.

A cooperative gives you the opportunity to grow with your child. Both you and your child will meet new people and form friendships with other preschool families.

If you have any questions or concerns about the functioning of the co-op please feel free to contact us. We wish you and your child a year of growth and wonderful experiences!

• 2011-2012 Co-op Application Packet
• Message to Parents
• Restated Articles of Incorporation
• Arts-Go-Round – Chelsea Center for the Arts’ Co-op preschool arts enrichment program
• Committee Descriptions 2011 

Chelsea Co-op Preschool is now a

Music Together® Preschool!

As part of the Music Together^® Preschool program, Music Together specialists teach music and movement classes weekly in cooperation with classroom teachers. Classroom teachers then follow through on the weekly sessions, adapting activities to their curriculum needs and interests. Recordings, songbooks, and teaching materials are provided to each classroom, and children “bring the music home” for parent-child musical play, sharing the songs and activities learned in school. Children learn from the model of music participation set by both parents and classroom teachers, and the joy of extended family music in school and at home creates a natural circle of learning that builds parent-child, parent-teacher and parent-school relationships.

The Music Together Preschool program provides children with the opportunity to learn music in developmentally appropriate ways; supports cognitive, emotional, social, and physical development; gives parents enjoyable and significant ways to relate to their children; engages at-risk children; and enhances happiness and well-being in your school community.