Kindergarten readiness

Fans of the classic read, “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten,” appreciate that life’s biggest lessons begin early. But it turns out, the journey starts even before those first kindergarten steps.

At Willoughby-Eastlake City Schools, the Preschool program is designed for children ages 3-5 to provide personalized learning and care. It was even awarded the Gold Award for Step Up to Quality from the State of Ohio, a rating system for early childcare and education programs.

“Kindergarten readiness means more than knowing letters and numbers,” says Preschool Principal Gina Brown. “We prepare our students by also building confidence, curiosity and independence. We focus on helping children develop strong social skills, a love of learning, and the ability to adapt to new environments.”

Parents are noticing the outcomes.

“I can’t say enough good things,” says Amy, mom of 4-year-old Cleo. “They addressed our daughter’s speech delay immediately and have the best educators around. My daughter comes home every day happy and eager to tell me the things she did that day.”

Step inside the preschool and you’ll find a thoughtfully designed mix of learning environments, from general and co-taught classrooms to integrated settings and specialized resource rooms.

Each child benefits from a personalized approach, guided by the Ohio Early Learning and Development Standards and enriched with the Benchmark Ready to Advance curriculum.

The result is a dynamic blend of early literacy, math, social-emotional growth and hands-on exploration—all wrapped into engaging daily lessons and creative weekly themes.

What truly sets this preschool apart is the team of teachers, intervention specialists, speech-language pathologists and therapists who support each child’s development. Families are part of the program through meetings, ongoing communication and even home visits when needed.

Setting children on the best path to becoming life-long learners puts them ahead when it comes to learning life’s most important lessons—how to grow, connect and thrive.

Look for these monthly stories to cover topics from grades K-12 in the Willoughby-Eastlake City Schools System. For details, visit WESchools.org. Parents can schedule a tour of the preschool at Preschool.WESchools.org.