Our Program >Classes
Dragonflies
To qualify, children must be at least 3½ and no older than 5 by August 31st. Tuition is $260 / Month. Dragonflies meet every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 12:00 to 3:00 PM.
What do Dragonflies Learn?
By the time a child reaches age three or so, they have begun to engage in cooperative play on a large scale for the first time.  With the support of loving parents and a head teacher, the dragonflies learn to negotiate conflicts that inevitably arise in their play, they learn to utilize the social skills they've been role playing in circle, and they learn to navigate the ever changing world of friendships.  In addition to learning important lessons in community living, they also have the freedom to develop their own sense of self.   Every day dragonflies are offered a myriad of different mediums to choose from.  They choose how to express their innermost self---whether it be through story dictation, constructing buildings, painting on the easels, clay sculpting, or dancing to music.  Academic areas such as reading and writing and science and mathematics are integrated deliberately into the every day activities.  Children thus receive the message that learning is always available in the here and now.  And it is useful and practical and it is something they are wired to do.  Dragonfly parent alums have testified that their children thrive in kindergarten because not only do they leave LCP with appropriate academic skills, they also leave with an emotional awareness and assertiveness that allows them to negotiate strong relationships with other children and adults.
Daily Class Schedule
Kids Enter!
Activities:
  • Parents dictate on News from Home board (shared writing activity)
  • Teacher checks in with families 
  • Children play and greet each other
Business Meeting
Activities:
  • Sing
  • Read News from Home. 
  • Discuss the Calendar, etc.
Outside play at Lakewood Playground
Walk accross the street to the local playground and play on swings, sandbox, and playstructures.
  • Children meet on steps and walk back together.
  • Wash hands
Group Snack
Parents help in kitchen to provide children with a balanced meal.
Free Choice for Everyone
Activities:
  • art
  • dramatic play
  • puppets
  • writing
  • recyclable crafts
  • blocks
  • manipulatives
  • small group projects
  • one-on-one projects
  • story dictation
Circle

The following objectives will be met at each meeting:

  • community building
  • making agreements
  • a lot of music/dance/rhythmsticks
  • acting out stories
  • sharing art/ buildings/ etc. the kids have made during choice time
Snuggle with a Book Time
 
Cleanup
Teacher is available to talk to parents as they come pick up their child.

 

 

 

Classes
Bumblebees
19 months - 2½ years
» Learn More
Crickets
2½ - 3½ years
» Learn More
Dragonflies
3½ - 5 years
» Learn More
Teacher Biography
About
Katie Vos
Class Teacher
I have been a teacher for what feels like many years now.  I began with camps and ski school in high school and college, followed with work for a terrific Inclusive Schools Research Project after college.  I returned for my Masters in Teaching at Seattle University, then taught fifth and sixth grade for six years in the Lake Washington School District.  Once my daughter Clio was born, I left the elementary classroom and taught seminars for teachers in the area of math instruction.  Now, with Clio (4-Dragonfly), Romy (2-Bumblebee) in my life, I’ve found myself irresistibly drawn into teaching at the preschool level.  The energy and sincerity of the kids is just unbeatable!  I think that much of what I’ve learned in teaching older learners transfers well to the preschool classroom;  the planning, individualizing, managing behavior, and much more.  I’m also certain that I have more to learn, and I’m excited to do this among a group of such committed and supportive people.  I hope your expectation will also be that there is room for you to learn among the children, parents, and others that make up this community.

Teaching Philosophy

I believe these preschool years are so critical for children in establishing their norms and expectations about relationships, their sense of self and emotional literacy, and their orientation toward learning.  The first and foremost vehicle for all their learning at preschool should be through simple play.  Whether make-believe or messy, gooey exploration, kids experiences in play and in their interactions surrounding that play make their learning meaningful to them.  My role as teacher, as I see it, is to build relationships with and among the students, and to see that their play is rich and rewarding.  I believe that by making thoughtful, deliberate decisions about classroom activities and conversations, our kids will become more and more skilled as thinkers, problem-solvers, lovers-of-learning, and in their relationships with family and friends.