Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
What age children do you accept?
What is the class size and staff /child ratio?
What is the philosophy of ZLS?
What is the curriculum of ZLS?
What about a lunch program?
What about extended care?
How do I register my child?
What should I know about your
staff?
What age children do you accept?
ZLS has four class levels. There is a Toddler class for 2 year olds, a Preschool class for 3 year olds and a Pre-Kindergarten for 4 year olds. Our newest class is called Pre-K Plus. This class is for students who have completed a year of Pre-K and have decided to wait one more year before going to Kindergarten. This class is only offered Mon-Wed-Fri from 9am - 3pm. All other class levels have the option of selecting to attend 2 mornings per week, 3 mornings per week or 5 mornings per week.
Morning Nursery School hours are 9am – 11:30am daily.
We also have a Pre-K class on Monday/Wednesday/Friday afternoons from 12:30pm until 3:00pm.
What is the class size and staff /child ratio?
Our Toddler classes have 11 children.
Our Preschool classes have 13 children.
Our Pre-K classes have 14 children in the regular sized rooms and 16 in the large classroom.
All of our classrooms have two adults, a teacher and a teaching assistant. This makes the Toddler ratio less than 6:1 and the older class ratio 7:1 or less. In the larger classrooms, we utilize volunteer parent helpers to keep the ratio less than 8:1.
What is the philosophy of ZLS?
Our School is sponsored by Zion Lutheran Church of Spring City. The school is administered by a Board of Directors elected by the Church Congregation. Our School Board determines policy and evaluates all recommendations offered by the Director.
The purpose of the school is to provide a service for the young children of our community with Christian-oriented learning experiences.
School Philosophy.....
What is the curriculum of ZLS?
Core Objectives of Zion’s School Program:
Our Toddler Program (2’s) is a year of exposure to the social world outside of the home. We provide a social and nurturing environment in an atmosphere of play.
Our Pre-Schoolers (3’s) enjoy the social world of making school friends, learning some basic colors and shapes and developing the social skills necessary to move toward cooperative play. All 3’s must be potty trained.
Our Pre-K Program (4’s) emphasizes the social and emotional skills necessary for both home and school. The children develop confidence to be independent workers and cooperative helping friends. Readiness skills are an integral part of the Pre-K child’s day while they are developing other social and gross motor skills.
Our weekly Music Classes provide experiences for group interaction while emphasizing the joy of music and movement.
Lunch Bunch - Zion offers a time for the children to gather in the context of a meal. Lunch Bunch is a first come, first served opportunity for your child to stay form 11:30am until 1:00pm. You supply the lunch and we supply the fun. Children eat with friends from their class and other children of the same age. They are given time for free choice play, taken outside to the playground if the weather is favorable or taken to our indoor recess room for some bike riding or games.
Time: 11:30am - 1:00pm
Cost: $7.00 / day
Zion opens at 7:30am and closes at 5:30pm. All children must be enrolled in a class to receive extended care as all of our staff are involved with class sessions between the hours of 9:00am and 11:30am. We are very flexible to your needs. Children can come early and go home at 11:30am. They can come at school time and stay for Lunch Bunch until 1:00pm. They can come early and stay late. Whatever your care needs are, we will try very hard to meet them.
Additional care is billed by the hour… you don’t pay for hours not used.
Time: 7:30am - 5:30pm
Cost: $6.00 / hour
(for any part of hour used)
NOTE: Extended care billing is done Monday for the prior week’s care. We require payment within that week on or before Friday for children to remain in extended care. A $50.00 escrow deposit is required for extended care children. A $25.00 escrow deposit is required for those using Lunch Bunch regularly. Our Nursery School operates on a non-profit basis. Rates and times of our program may be subject to change.
Open registration to the public begins February 1st, annually. Families should call the school to hear about slots that are open. If one of these slots fit into your plans, we will book a tour time for you to meet with Mrs. Detwiler, our Director. This tour will provide details about our school and a walk through to observe classes in session. Once you have a tour scheduled, that slot will be held for your child until the time of your tour. You will then be given the opportunity to fill out our application and finalize your decision by submitting a non-refundable registration fee. A copy of your child’s up-to-date immunization record must be presented as well.
We also fill vacated slots as they present throughout the school year. If you are new to the area, please call to check availability. If we are full, we will get your name and address on a postcard to send as a reminder that registration for the upcoming school year is about to begin.
What should I know about your staff?
All of our teachers are degreed. The majority hold a B.S. in Elementary Education or Early Childhood Education. Two teachers are Masters prepared in Early Childhood Education. While the qualification for a teaching assistant is a High School diploma, the majority of the assistants are also college prepared. Most have come to work here after having children graduate from our program.
All of the staff are certified in Infant/Child CPR and Obstructed Airway Management. They have all received their felony background checks and child abuse registry clearances.