What makes St. Barnabas stand out from other preschool programs?

St. Barnabas has been offering children great early childhood experiences for more than fifty–five years. We pride ourselves on providing teachers who are certified in early childhood education. Our staff is experienced, warm, friendly and accepting. St. Barnabas Day School provides its teachers with continuing education on a yearly basis, so that our teachers can be up–to–date on the latest in early childhood education.

Why does St. Barnabas have a play–based program?

We at St. Barnabas believe that play is a child’s work. We believe that making learning fun is the foundation for future education. When learning through play a child can explore at his/her own pace, have fun while learning and not feel pressured. While a child plays they are provided with opportunities to grow socially and emotionally by learning how to problem solve with other children and express their feelings. A child also practices fine motor and gross motor skills as he/she plays.

What is the daily schedule?

• Welcome Circle—We say hello, introduce our topic of the day, and have a few songs and finger plays.
• Free Play—The children explore the classroom and choose their activities. We provide arts and crafts, dramatic play, play dough, blocks, games, texture table, and educational toys.
• Music and Movement Circle—Children have a chance to dance, use rhythm sticks, bean bags, act out stories and take turns sharing ideas with their friends and teachers.
• Snack Time—The teachers provide a group snack. During snack, children get to practice passing and pouring, good manners, and sharing.
• Outside Play—We play on the playground every day (weather permitting).

What is the teacher to student ratio, and why is this important?

We keep our teacher to student ratio lower than that of Washington State laws. For Barnabear (2½–3 years old) it is 1:4 (this number includes one teacher and an assistant). In Preschool (3–4 years old) the ratio is 1:6, and in Pre–Kindergarten (4–6 years old, it is 1:7. We believe that the ratios should be kept low so that children have more one–on–one opportunities with our teachers. Children are sent to us to learn and the larger numbers do not provide what we feel is the best learning environment for children.

How do we handle inappropriate behavior in the classroom?

Redirection is used to stop inappropriate behavior. We then suggest different appropriate activities and model the behavior that we want to see in the classroom. Often just picking a different activity can diffuse a situation.

What is our emergency plan?

We have specific responses to a variety of different emergencies, including a fire escape route and earthquake response. All children will be cared for by day school staff as long as necessary after a natural disaster or emergency. Children will be cared for at the school for up to 24 hours. Following that time period, staff and students will be moved to a designated Red Cross site.

Why does St. Barnabas have age cut–offs for its classes?

The day school follows the Bainbridge Island School District age requirements. The school district strictly adheres to the age requirements, so children entering our program early would not be able to enter public school early. A child would need to repeat preschool or Pre–K and not go to Kindergarten with his/her friends.

Can my child repeat Pre-K if they aren’t ready for kindergarten?

Yes, of course! Children are more than welcome to repeat Pre–K for any number of reasons. Sometimes children need some more socialization before heading to kindergarten and we work with them more on playing with other children, problem solving, and helping them practice being a good friend. Other children might need more help with the scholastic aspects of kindergarten readiness. We will then emphasize letters and numbers, counting, prereading skills, or any other specific needs, with that child. We must adhere to state age limits, and children can attend up until their sixth birthday; with rare exemptions that may require additional documentation. 

More info can be found in our handbook: (Need link!)