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BP church is home to new program for
preschoolers
By Karl Puckett
Sun Newspapers
(Created 1/6/2005 11:33:44 AM)
Highpointe Preschool and Childcare opened for
business Monday, Jan. 3, at Riverview United Methodist Church in Brooklyn Park,
and its teacher says her teaching philosophy and the preschool’s hours will
set it apart.
Jeanne Croteau, a certified teacher who has
taught early childhood education and kindergarten in the past, serves as the new
preschool’s lead teacher and director. Her husband, Bill Croteau, is
co-director and handles the new school’s business affairs.
The couple lives in Brooklyn Park.
Even though the preschool is leasing space in
a church, Highpointe is not faith-based. The church had previously been the site
of a District 11 Early Childhood Family Education program, Croteau said. After
that program was cut, Croteau said she approached the church’s pastor with the
idea of opening a preschool program.
“I’ve just always wanted to have my
own,” Croteau said. “I just felt I could do it just a little bit better and
just maybe tweak what I’ve seen and make it my own and make it something
parents could grab a hold of.”
But Croteau said she wouldn’t shy away from
religious topics, either.
“It won’t be a faith-based curriculum, but
we can still talk about those things,” Croteau said.
Highpointe is licensed for 20 children.
Curriculum may vary from year to year, depending on the children who are
enrolled.
The school offers more of a philosophy toward
teaching kids than a set-in-stone curriculum, Croteau said.
Her approach is that children are empty
vessels who need to be filled up with knowledge, she said. Croteau said she acts
as a facilitator to help the children figure out what they want to learn. Based
on their interests, lessons for the children are developed.
“As teachers, we need to bring out what they
know and what they want to know,” Croteau said.
Children 33 months to 5 years old are welcome.
All-day preschool runs from 9 a.m. to 3:30
p.m. weekdays and child care is offered from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. to
5:30 p.m.
Croteau said Highpointe is different in that
it offers a five-day-a-week, all-day preschool program.
“This program will offer something to
parents who want to give their children a little bit more than just a 2 1/2 hour
program,” Croteau said.
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