Programs

At Shining Lights we encourage interaction, creative thinking, problem solving and exploration of the environment. This is done through the use of learning centers, and many child-directed activities. Our classes have a lot of hands on activities for the children to be involved in. They also do many art, cooking and discovery activities. Our program is enhanced through special theme days, a weekly “Stretch-n-Grow” aerobic program, field trips and several days each year where we encourage parent involvement. We want the children at this age to learn to love learning.

Currently, Shining Lights Preschool offers classes for four different age groups of children:

The Honey Bear Class is for children who are between the ages of 2 ½ and 3 years old in September. Generally, this is their first preschool experience. Mrs. Crankshaw is our Teddy Bear teacher.

The Panda Bear Class is for children who are at least 3 years old in September. These children are beginning to learn more about their world and have a wide variety of discovery orientated learning experiences. In our younger classes the main emphasis is on social and emotional development. This group learns lots of songs and finger plays as well as language arts, math and Bible. The children engage in group as well as individual activities to facilitate learning. Mrs. Deichert is our Panda Bear teacher.

The Polar Bear Class is for children who are 4 years old in September. This class helps to prepare children for Kindergarten. There is more focus on letters and sounds, counting, as well as gross and fine motor coordination. Mrs. Hill is our Polar Bear teacher.

The Koala Bear Class is our transitional kindergarten class. The children in this class are at least 4½ years old, but not ready for kindergarten. This class meets the needs of children who are old enough to go to kindergarten, but are not quite ready or children who just fall short of the kindergarten cutoff. The Koala Bear Class has more academic activities and goes at a quicker pace than the Polar Bear Class. The children in the older classes do many of the same things that the younger children do. We still want to encourage social emotional development, creative thinking, problem solving and exploration of the environment. These children will also do more work on cognitive development. They will work on memory spatial relations and critical thinking. In this class we also want them to develop good listening habits and help them work productively in group situations. We also continue to work with age appropriate language arts, handwriting, math concepts and Bible. Miss Lori is our Koala Bear teacher.