Back to school before kindergarten

MILLBROOK — Sept. 8 is the first day of preschool for 3- to 5-year-olds in Millbrook. There are four local programs to consider.

The early education programs housed at Lyall Church and Grace Episcopal are stand-alone programs that send their graduating 5-year-olds to a variety of public and private schools, while students in the smaller classes at Dutchess Day School and St. Joseph’s stay on to attend their elementary schools.

All of these programs have been created to foster school readiness and early development for the region’s pre-kindergarten children. Unlike the highly competitive jostling in New York City for a coveted pre-K spot, none of Millbrook’s programs require testing or high-pressured interviews. Families are encouraged to tour the schools, ask questions and decide which place is the best environment for their child.

The Millbrook Early Education Childhood Center (MECC) used in Lyall Church has 42 young students. At the moment there are still a few two-days-a-week openings. The  program, which meets from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. two to five days a week, focuses on social and emotional development, according to Laurie Fay, the program’s director. There also is a very relaxed optional afternoon program available that extends the day to 4:30 p.m.

MECC can accommodate children with special needs and attracts families from as far away as Poughkeepsie and Wassaic. Fay suggests that parents visit the school with their children to see if they feel comfortable in the environment, which focuses on social and emotional development with a progressive education outlook.

On the other side of Franklin Avenue is the Millbrook Community Preschool program at Grace Church. Here another 35 children are getting ready for kindergarten under the watchful eye of director Diane Jackson Schnoor, who holds a doctorate in early childhood education.

Right now there are a few spaces remaining for 4-year-olds this year and the list for 3-year-old applicants for next year is starting.

“As long as we have space we can accept children,� said Schnoor. The school day is from 9 a.m. to noon two to five days a week, offering parents maximum flexibility in scheduling. Depending on the number of days the cost is $170 to $390 a month and there is some financial aid available.

By age 5, when children are ready to enter kindergarten, they know their letters and sounds and are primed and ready to begin reading, according to Schnoor. Visiting guest artists, field trips, music and dance classes enrich the school day of play and learning.

The Lillian Goldman preschool at independent Dutchess Day School (DDS) on Route 343 in Millbrook is a fully integrated part of the preschool through eighth grade. Housed in a new preschool building, DDS’s youngest students also benefit from classes in physical education, music, art and foreign language.

Families with children who turned 3 or 4 by Sept. 1 are invited to visit and apply to become part of the Dutchess Day School community. Three-year-olds meet three mornings per week with the option to stay for a lunch with their classmates, and 4-year-olds meet five mornings per week and stay for the lower school lunch along with the kindergarten through fourth-grade students.

The preschool students are automatically accepted for enrollment into the kindergarten class.

St. Joseph’s preschool offers a spiritual grounding within the framework of the Catholic Church as well as preparation for kindergarten. In addition to the pre-K program for 15 students St. Joseph’s offers a nursery program.