Frequently Asked Questions

• How old does a child need to be to qualify for one of your classes?
  To be part of our Three Year Old Program, a child must be 3 years old by September 30th. Likewise, a child must be 4 years old by September 30th to qualify for our 4 Year Old Program and 5 years old by September 30th to qualify for our Kindergarten program.
   
• What is your pupil/teacher ratio?
  There is an average of 6-7 to 1 (student/teacher) ratio in the Three and Four Year Old Programs, with an average of 6-8 to 1 ratio in our Kindergarten Program. Our teaching staff hold a minimum of a high school degree and certification in Early Childhood Education.
   
• How long have your teachers been working at Lamb's?
  Most of our teachers and assistant teachers have been with Lamb's for more than 5 years, some for 10-15 years. We have very little "turn-over" among our staff.
   
• What are expectations for an incoming 3 year old to be ready for preschool?
  We do expect all children to be fully toilet trained. Even though we do not expect 3 and 4 year olds to be fully accomplished with their toileting skills, it is helpful if they are able to manage their clothing (for the most part) and are familiar with the use of toilet paper and steps to washing hands. It is also helpful if they can make their needs be known by verbal expression. For our HELPFUL HINTS handout for our 3's students, please click here. 
   
• How many classes are there?
  We have three morning Three-Year-Old classes, and we have four Four-Year-Old classes (3 in the morning and 1 in the afternoon). We also have one or two Afternoon Enrichment (AE) classes held one day a week for our four year children (Lamb's students only).  There is one Kindergarten class held each morning for a three hour session. Kindergarten Enrichment (KE) is held two (2) afternoons each week. Our KE program is open to both Lambs students as well as students who attend other Kindergarten programs, as space is available.
   
• How many children are in a classroom?
  The preschool consists of two classrooms with an average of 13 children in each class, with one teacher and one assistant teacher for each class. There is one larger classroom with an average of 18 children, one teacher and two assistant teachers. The Kindergarten is composed of a maximum 22 children, with a lead teacher and one or two assistants, depending on enrollment.
   
• How do you decide which classroom a child should have?
  Our Educational Director (Donna Gamans) tries to balance the boy/girl ratio. She also tries to have a balance of younger 3 year olds (or 4's) and older 3 year olds (or 4's). Donna also likes to have the parents' input regarding their child's temperament and sociability. For example, the big room might not be best for a quiet or shy child, as it can be overwhelming - too busy and noisy. One of the smaller rooms would probably be better. Teacher requests can be made, but we cannot guarantee your request will be granted.
   
• How do I enroll my child in The Lamb's Workshop?                                                   We are happy to add your child to our "Interest" list at any time.  Once on this list, we will contact you the October/November before your child is due to start school and arrange a time for you and your spouse to visit and tour our school (without your children this first time, if possible). Our registration period is in late January.  Lamb's will contact you when/if a position become available for your child.  At that time, a non-refundable registration fee would be due, as well as completion of a preliminary registration form.  In March, we host an Open House for you to bring your child to Lamb's to see their school, meet teachers, wander classrooms and meet classmates and their parents.

• How do you incorporate Christianity into the curriculum?
  The Three Year Olds begin their meeting time with prayer and recitation of the monthly Bible verse. One of the children gets to lead the Grace at snack time, and there are Bible stories read and discussed each week. Our four year olds and Kindergarten students have "Chapel" once a month where they go upstairs to the main church sanctuary, sing songs, and have a short Bible lesson given by Bethany's Pastor Joel Kruggel, or another member of the BCC pastoral staff.
  The four-year-old classes learn about the Fruit of the Spirit during the course of the year, and have a Bible memory verse each month that coincides with this theme. We concentrate on Old Testament Bible stories during the months prior to Christmas and then move on to reading from the New Testament. The Kindergarten class concentrates on several Bible verses each month as well as a devotional time based on each letter of the alphabet. (A Bible lesson with a "key" word starting with a letter from the alphabet.) The Kindergarten children are given opportunities to pray each day for their friends, families, and/or whatever is relevant to them that day. We try to make Christianity relevant and a natural expression of who we are. Virtues and "life lessons" can be beautifully tied in with learning about God's love for us and how we need to honor him with our hearts and our service to others. 
   
• How do you accommodate for children with food allergies?
  Over our 25 years experience, we have had many occasions where we have had to accommodate to children's needs in this area. We are a "nut free" zone, and we encourage every parent whose child has allergies to communicate the child's specific needs to our Director, Donna Gamans, and their child's teacher(s) in person. We ask our parents to document the children's needs at the beginning of the school year, as well as any emergency-related procedures and/or medications, so that we are prepared and able to ensure each child's safety to the best of our ability. With the information the parents provide, our teachers are then able to provide the necessary precautions for the well-being of the students in their class.
  
  While we endeavor to do our utmost to ensure each child's safety, we ask that each parent be vigilant in overseeing their child's needs. This is especially important for those who have children with food-related allergies. We now require that these parents check the day's snack at drop off to ensure snack safety. If the parent deems the day's snack to be safe, then they must sign a permission sheet indicating their child may partake of that day's snack. However, there are times when parental permission is missing and/or we are unsure of the safety of the snack; this is why we ask the parent of children with food allergies to bring in a "safe" snack each day for their child. In this way, we endeavor to accommodate for the many needs of our students and help to protect them to the best of our ability.
   
• What do you do for field trips?                                                                                            (Applicable for the 4-year-olds and Kindergarten only)  We offer field trips that complement and reinforce our thematic units. A few examples are: apple orchard trips, the Krista McCauliffe Planetarium, and the Bedford Fire Station. We do request that our Lamb's students wear a red and/or white t-shirt or sweatshirt for quick identification purposes during the field trip.
  
  If you have questions not answered here, please contact the main office at 472-2113 or lambsworkshop@gmail.com.