About

1 Day Family Preschool Program - FPS (ages 2-6)

9:00 a.m. Arrival/Nursery opens (Musical Babies time @ 9:30am)

9:15 a.m. Doorkeeper Opens Door for Godly Play for 2–6 years

9:30 a.m. Art Response and Work

10:15 a.m. Sharing the Feast Active Games, Play and Work (Play is their Work and Work is their Play!)

11:00 a.m. Transition to Music Time with Parents

11:40 a.m. Dismissal

11:45 a.m. Nursery Closes for Siblings

Dr. Maria Montessori was the first female doctor in Italy. Although misunderstood by her contemporaries and some today, she was a pioneer in her thoughts and actions toward children. She did not work with the elite, as many people think, but the disadvantaged, the mentally and physically challenged, and the poor. She brought her theories of sensorial learning to life and began to give children tools that would expedite and facilitate their love for learning. She was the first to create child-sized everything; instead of mini-adults, she respected children as children.

• With independence, while enjoying the presence of others but not relying on them
• During the first twelve years of life —the best time for learning grace and courtesy and for training their mind for thinking skills
• With others, older and younger, in an integrated, multi-aged classroom
• By using hands-on materials, which allows concentration, repetition, and self-correction
• Through self-motivation and with a natural desire to learn
• From teachers who direct activities, prepare the environment, and offer stimulation

Parents who are intentional about teaching at home may do the following:

Hand In Hand believes that all people are created in the image and LIKENESS of God with unique combinations of gifts, abilities, interests, learning styles and personalities. We believe we must incorporate Christ in all we do, as we hold to the truth that God deeply loves all people and has a plan for each of our lives.

We believe children are UNIQUE CREATIONS with inquisitive, creative, inspiring natural bents. They move through development stages, called sensitive periods, in which particular learning its optimum level.

WE BELIEVE we are in the Lord’s hands. He created us with His HANDS and loves each of us. He has written all our names in His Book of Life if we believe in Jesus as Savior and Lord.

WE BELIEVE that Jesus took children seriously and called them to Himself, placed His HAND on them and blessed them, and said the Kingdom of Heaven belonged to those who were like children.

WE BELIEVE that true learning occurs when the child can do things for himself/herself and have the activities in HAND.

Hand in Hand Christian Montessori seeks to glorify God by:

• TEACHING truth about God's Word and God's world as we
• CREATE a creative, cooperative classroom while we
• ENCOURAGE and strengthen families and
• INCORPORATE Christ in all we do.

Hand In Hand seeks to glorify God by teaching truth about God's Word and God's World through a Christian Montessori, Home-Educating model of cooperation and commitment to children and parents.

Hand in Hand desires to:

• Provide preschool and homeschool children with a positive, self-directed, education resource.
• Invite parents to participate in an early childhood, elementary and junior high family educational forums with a Christian perspective and to learn strategies to teach children at home.
• Engage parents, children, and staff together  in creative, educational family events that enhance their lives and make meaningful memories and reach significant milestones.

I am the youngest child raised in a family of eleven, by emigrant parents from Italy who understood the value of the opportunity of education in this country and the value of the home environment. They provided fertile ground for me on my quest of my life’s message. As a wife and mother of two grown married children, and six young grandchildren, I have had many opportunities for observing children on a daily basis. I have taught in both public and private schools, religious and non-sectarian schools.

It seems like yesterday. . . spring, 1996: I was holding my five-month-old baby, dreaming about my life with my husband, and this child. I remember having a distinct impression from God with three simple words: Home School Academy. What? Where did that come from? Wasn’t that an oxymoron? Did something like that exist? Little did I know those three words would change my thinking, my ideas of the ideal educational experience and my future.