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Preschool

Preschool provides foundational learning for children who are 3- or 4-years-old by September 1. Preschool supports a child's social-emotional growth while also increasing skills in language, literacy, math and physical development for future success. Preschool offers a supportive environment where children can also create important social connections with their peers.
 

Three's and multi-age preschool offers three, four and five-year-old children a variety of site and programming options, including two and three day classes. Some classes provide an option for parents to register for a parent discussion group as part of the class registration. Childcare will be provided if you wish to register for the parent discussion group and your child does not attend preschool at the same time as the group meets. Childcare will also be provided for other siblings ages birth to five years. 

Four's Pre-K is an exciting time for children as they work to develop abilities and independence that will help prepare them for Kindergarten and beyond. The Four's Pre-K program is for four-year-old's one year prior to starting kindergarten. Children must be age four on or before Sept. 1. The program is located at most elementary school sites and offers programming five days per week with morning and afternoon half-day options. Parents are responsible for their child's transportation to and from school.  

 

Completion of Early Childhood Screening is required for all students in SoWashCo Schools Preschool program starting at age 3. To schedule an appointment call 651-425-6175 or schedule a screening date online. Be sure to mention your child is registering for the SoWashCo Schools Preschool program. 

Your child cannot be placed in a class if they will be 4 years old by 9/1/23 and have not yet been screened.

Contact

Enrollment Questions:
Brenda Griffin
Office Coordinator
651-425-7160

bgriffin@sowashco.org

Program Supervision:
Joyce Beaird 
Early Learning Family Services Manager
651-425-7169
jbeaird@sowashco.org

 

Registration Information

Parent resources

Early learning blog

 

 

Along with the joy of becoming a parent comes a lot of questions about raising a child. It can be hard to find answers and information. Our Early Learning blog can provide the information you seek. Written by one of our own ECFE Licensed Parent Educators, each blog offers insight into child development, parenting strategies, and other important topics that can support parents during their parenting journey. View our extensive blog library of topics as well as our most recent post below:

From the time we learn that we are about to become a parent, most of us start to think about or wonder what our child will be like. We might develop a picture in our minds of who our children will be as they grow. We might wonder whom our child will take after, what they will like/dislike, and much more. The reality is that once our child has arrived, we might quickly learn that they are their own unique person. No two kids are exactly the same. As parents, one of the greatest gifts we can give our children is to embrace and encourage our child’s uniqueness. This of course is not nearly as easy as it sounds.

Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” This is true and something parents should keep in mind as they parent their children and not compare them to other children. We also need to hold this truth in our hearts as we look at other families and parents. It can be so tempting to look at another parent and think, “How can they be so put together?” or “They have it all figured out.” Meanwhile, you feel like you are drowning and barely making it through the day. The reality is that most parents feel this way at some point. Some of us might feel it a little more often while others might just be better at hiding it.

“Enjoy this time. Before you know it, they will be grown, and you will miss this” “This time goes by so fast. Enjoy every moment!” “I just loved every moment of parenting my kids. You better enjoy this time because it will be over before you know it.” Have you heard these messages or something like them before? It is common for parents to be told to enjoy every moment of being a parent because as the saying goes, “the days are long, but the years are short.” And this is true, but what is not true is that we must enjoy every moment of being a parent