Prairie Preschool is located inside Prairie High School and serves children ages 3-5 in an inclusive setting with high school students. You may ask why inclusion? A lab setting in a high school with high school students? Is this best for my child? Will they receive the right education in this setting?
There are many reasons to provide educational opportunities to children in an inclusive setting. Children with disabilities play, learn, and interact with their peers. Integrating young children can be beneficial for both groups, as well as their parents. High school students help prepare preschoolers as they reach their milestones. High school students learn developmentally appropriate practices to further their education and job endeavors.

Children who are Typically Developing

Through positive interactions with children with disabilities, peers who are typically developing become sensitive to the needs of others and learn to appreciate individual differences at an early age. In an inclusion setting, children who are typically developing have more opportunities to be leaders, or teachers, thereby increasing their self-confidence. The children also have the opportunity to form friendships with their peers.

Children with Disabilities

When children with disabilities are educated alongside their typically developing peers, they learn age-appropriate communication, social and play skills by imitating their peers. Inclusion settings provide a challenging environment for the children with disabilities. Therefore, the children learn more independently and developmentally advanced skills.

Your Child’s Day

A consistent daily schedule is planned to offer a balance of formal and informal learning activities. There will be opportunities for your child to participate in the following each day.

• Large and small group activities

• Self-directed play

• Story time

• Snacks

• Outdoor play

• Individual activities

Learning Center Activities

• Art

• Science/exploration

• Literacy

• Math

• Blocks/engineering

• Dramatic play

Curriculum

Prairie Preschool uses Ready to Advance curriculum from Benchmark Education Company. It addresses all areas of developmental skills: social emotional, language and literacy, mathematics, science and technology, motor, social studies and art.

School Schedule

Mon, Tue, Thur, Fri

Mornings 

8:00 a.m. – 11 a.m.

Afternoons 

11:45 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.

Tuition

$60 non-refundable annual registration fee.
$165 per month. There is a fee adjustment for families who qualify for free or reduced-price meals.

How do I register?

Please call Linda Dollar at 360-885-5004

Health Procedures

All children must have current immunization records on file before attending preschool.

Your child should be kept at home if they are not feeling well. If they have any of the following, they should be kept home until they have been symptom free or on antibiotics for 24 hours:

• Vomiting or diarrhea

• Fever

• Strep throat

• Pink eye or rashes

Absences

If your child is going to be absent from school, please notify our staff at
360-885-5004

** If your child rides the bus, please also call Transportation at 360-885-6577 to notify them. Note that they will NOT pick up your child until you notify them your child is ready to return to school.

Contact our preschool teachers

Linda Dollar, Community Preschool Teacher

Kara Martin, Special Education Teacher

Patti Gaines, High School Teacher

Angela Johnson, Special Education Assistant

Breanna Harrelson, Special Education Assistant

In addition, we also have support staff including speech, occupational, and physical therapists.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns about your child’s development.

All staff can be reached at 360-885-5004

High School Students

High School students wishing to obtain knowledge in the early childhood education field may enroll in the Prairie Preschool 1, 2 or 3 Class. They will receive instruction on Mondays and Fridays by the high school teacher and then join us for preschool sessions. During their classroom time they will be learning about, but not limited to the different stages of development, developmentally appropriate practices, different disabilities and how to document observational data.

In addition to coursework they will have the opportunity to be trained in First Aid, CPR, and Food Handlers. As well as receive an introduction to the STARS certification process. Students that complete Prairie Preschool 1 and 2 will have the opportunity to leave the program with their STARS certification which will enable the students to be employable in childcare or preschool settings in the community.