Frequently Asked Questions

One of the busiest places at the Village School on any morning is the school library. Parents and children read a book and connect with friends as their school day begins. Many books have donation messages from years of Village School children and families donating “birthday books” and end of year gifts. These books are always available for checking out from our lending library. During the school day, small groups of children visit the library with a teacher for a story and chance to make a choice and take a book home to share. The children eagerly learn to share in the responsibility of taking care of the book and bringing it back to the basket in the library.

Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis starting each September for the following September. Individual information sessions are available by appointment. Class assignments begin in January for the following September. You may downloaded the application here.

The Village School takes food allergies very seriously. We are a nut free environment: we do not serve any nut containing food nor do we allow them to be eaten on-site. All students staying for lunch are monitored for any nut containing items and sharing of food between students is strictly prohibited. All teachers and staff have been trained to recognize signs of an allergic reaction and in the use of Epi-pens.

Each child’s allergy information and needs are addressed individually, with ongoing and open communication between families, the director, and classroom teachers. All Village School students are educated in an age-appropriate manner of the dangers of food allergies which makes avoiding dangerous foods a group effort rather than an individual problem.

The classroom assignments evolve from a process that includes the child’s age at enrollment, gender, and prior group experience. For returning children attending the Village School, a similar process is used with the teacher’s input and knowledge of each individual child.

The Village School strives to meet each child’s individual experience and skill foundation and facilitate their curiosity, creativity, and cognitive thirst with appropriate materials and challenges. Our emphasis on social skills and emotional readiness for future school experiences is matched with a child’s intellectual needs.

This presentation highlights the transition that the children at the Village School make throughout their preschool years and how the program is carefully differentiated to meet the individual needs of each child. We pride ourselves in our thoughtful, developmentally appropriate curriculum that is in accordance with the NAEYC standards for early education.

Classroom life at the Village School is very community based with daily interactions between teachers and parents. The morning drop off and pick-up times lend themselves to informal conversations, updates, stories, and messages concerning child and family. Fall and spring conferences are scheduled with written progress reports and portfolios of the child’s year at the Village School.

Extended Day (11:30-2:30) is a popular opportunity for children to enjoy lunch with friends, a brief “rest time,” and afternoon activities, including art, science and continued project time.

Families can sign up for the Monday and Wednesday extended days on a regular, full-year basis or more spontaneously from week to week. The Tuesday/Thursday extended day program is available only for the children in the 5 morning pre-K program and is designed as an extension of that class’ curriculum. This allows children to enjoy their own classroom and their own classmates and teacher to further the social and cognitive connections. Since children participate in this program for the full year, it is a wonderful way to build kindergarten readiness. The fee for Extended Day is $40 per session.

The Village School now offers Lunch Bunch Monday-Thursday (11:30-12:30). Sign-ups are posted each month in the hallway. Please pack a nut-free lunch and your child will have this opportunity when you choose. The fee for Lunch Bunch is $15 per session.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has established professional standards for early childhood education regarding many aspects of a school, including curriculum, assessment, teacher quality, and administration. Being accredited means that the Village School meets rigorous national standards for early childhood education.

Find out more about NAEYC and its standards at www.naeyc.org

There are a number of ways that parents can become involved at the school.

If interested, one could volunteer as a class parent (sign ups are held in the beginning of the school year). The class parents coordinate different tasks through out the school year, including activities with the students such as guest speakers and/or volunteering within the community, teacher gifts and events, and other special plans.

A parent could also volunteer as a member of the Village School board. This group works collaboratively with the Director to oversee planning and management of the school. Please reach out to Laurie Coughlin, or the board co-chairs if interested in being nominated.

Please reference the Parent Handbook for additional information about the Board of Trustees and detailed Village School policies and procedures.