The Director’s Message

Nancie Rachocki

Director, John Knox Preschool

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about John Knox Preschool. Each day at our school is an exciting new opportunity to enrich the minds of our students, and we hope your child will join us.

John Knox Preschool welcomes students regardless of race, gender, national and ethnic origin, and is non-discriminatory in all our policies. We accept children between the ages of 3 and 5 years old.

Please schedule your personal tour of our school. We will be happy to answer your questions and provide additional information about our educational programs.

Kind regards,

Nancie Rachocki
Director, John Knox Preschool

Licensing:

John Knox Preschool is licensed by the State of Ohio through the Department of Jobs and Family Services. We have provided education in a Christian environment since 1967. The school began as a non-profit, half-day school serving members and friends of John Knox Presbyterian Church and residents of the community.

Mission:

The mission of the school is, “To provide a loving and caring Christian environment, which will help children develop mentally, physically, emotionally, socially and spiritually.” Since the beginning of classes in 1967, hundreds of boys and girls have walked through the doors of John Knox Preschool.

Program Summary:

John Knox Preschool offers a two-day program for children who will be three years old by September 1st, and a three-day program for children who will be four years old by September 1st. See Preschool Programs for additional information on days and times. State licensing requires that all children must be toilet-trained. Classes meet from September through mid-May. Days off and school breaks are based on the North Olmsted City School calendar.

Staff:

The staff consists of a director, head teacher, classroom aide and a classroom volunteer who are all highly qualified, experienced educators who maintain their knowledge of current practices.

Activities:

Rich and varied experiences are provided for the children. The first part of the class includes a discovery time when the children explore the learning centers independently or in cooperative play with their peers. Available activities promote social interaction, individual creativity, confidence, and fine/gross motor skill development.

The second part of the class presents more organized activities and mini-lessons to introduce educational concepts involving letters, phonics, numbers, colors, shapes, and spatial concepts: the foundations needed for a successful kindergarten year. Large muscle activities complete the program.

The Purpose and Goals of John Knox Preschool are:

• To develop a child’s self-esteem (i.e. “I’m special”) and then move forward to being an important part of his/her family, community, and world.
• To understand the individual child’s level of development and mastery of skills, and then to guide him/her forward, without pressure, in a loving, encouraging manner.
• To provide developmentally appropriate experiences to encourage mastery in: following directions in both large and small group settings, self-expression as part of a group, participation in games and activities within a group, sharing, learning compassion and understanding others, developing the senses (special attention on listening skills), developing cognitive skills.
• To help develop the child’s interest and understanding of stories and language.
• To encourage the development of small muscles through the use of table games, puzzles, blocks, clay, handicrafts, sand, tools, etc.
• To encourage the development of large muscles with the use of riding trucks, large blocks, exercising, dancing, jogging, skating, etc.
• To encourage awareness of the world in which we live through science and social studies.
• To help the child develop listening and sound discrimination, tonal difference, loudness and softness, and rhythm patterns through singing, music and movement experiences.
• To encourage creativity and confidence.
• To have fun as each child develops at his/her own rate.