Cottage Lake Presbyterian Church & Preschool

With the many preschool options in the area, it was difficult and overwhelming to select a school for my son to attend for his first school experience. I am SO happy that we chose Cottage Lake Presbyterian Preschool. My son has been attending preschool here for the last two years and we absolutely love this wonderful little school. While the exterior is unassuming, this school is a true gem.
The director and the teachers here are wonderful, warm, caring and very experienced. They truly care about the children and their development. My son loves his teachers, they have helped him develop from a reserved little boy to one who is now interacting so well with his classmates and just loving school and loving learning! I know the teachers have made a big impact in his growth over the last two years. The teachers are all moms too and they intuitively know just the right balance of being firm and providing gentle reminders. They are wonderful about letting parents know if anything happened at school that day.
The curriculum at this school, to me, has the perfect balance of play and learning at each age group. In the 3’s class, the focus is mostly on learning how to be in the classroom (e.g. routines, lining up, following directions) and learning how to interact with other classmates. In the 4’s class, there is a lot of learning through play and also some writing practice through a letter of the week. The PreK class will have more of a slant toward academics, with more writing and math skills. The children truly learn through the fun activities they do here. They get lots of fine motor skill practice with all the art projects they do. They cook, they do science experiments, they go on field trips, they role play, they build, they sort, they count, they write, they sing, they jump, they play parachute, etc. I could go on and on. My son comes home with adorable arts and craft projects every day and is excited to tell me about them. He also comes home with so many wonderful songs and rhymes. The teachers do special fun things during holidays like the Easter bunny leaving eggs for the class. These little fun things they do for the kids really make their day.
This is not a school with the latest technology or fancy equipment or a direct focus on academic learning. This is a school with wonderful teachers who are passionate about helping children learn and helping them build important soft skills such as their character and self esteem through plenty of fun and creative activities, and a gentle approach to academics that is perfect for this age group. I am excited for our younger son to attend when he is old enough, so we can continue to be part of this school. It will always have a place in our hearts as where our children first started their love for school and learning.