Harker’s Preschool Approved and Taking Applications After Over a Year of Preparation

After more than a year preparing, Harker received final approval July 18 for its new preschool, which opens Sept. 3.

Located on Union Avenue, Harker Preschool sits on an 8-acre site that has been under renovation since January.

“We’re very excited to add the preschool to our K-12 school community,” said Chris Nikoloff, head of school.

The new play-based preschool offers programs for 3-year-olds, 4-year-olds and transitional kindergartners. With a focus on child-centered learning and teacher-guided explorations, the curriculum is rich with music, art, movement and nature. All preschool teachers have college degrees – some with multiple and advanced degrees — and backgrounds working with children.

“We are building a very special place for young children, with kind, passionate and highly qualified teachers giving guidance,” said Andrea Hart, director of the preschool. “We also have a large, thoughtfully developed campus, and the best blend of early childhood education philosophies enabling children to develop and learn while engrossed in rich, hands-on play experiences.”

A Bay Area native, Hart spent 11 years teaching at the Bing Nursery School, the play-based laboratory preschool at Stanford University, spent years teaching in local Montessori preschools and was a student of the Klingenstein Center for Independent School Leadership at Columbia University.

Applications for admission to the preschool are currently being accepted and interested parents may register online at http://preschool.harker.org or by picking up a registration packet at any of the other three Harker campuses. There will be tours for prospective parents July 18 at 9 a.m., July 21 at 10 a.m. and July 23 at 5:30 p.m. For parents to get the most out of these events, they are encouraged to arrange child care for their little ones.

“We are all so excited about the new preschool,” said Kelly Espinosa, who oversees the school’s summer and preschool programs. “It is a beautiful facility that promises to be a one-of-a-kind experience for young children.”

For more information about the new Harker Preschool, see the webpage http://preschool.harker.org/ and contact preschool@harker.org.

July 17, 2013Tags: Corporate Home Page, Featured Story