Our Program

We believe that there is joy, depth, and purpose in children’s play. We believe that children thrive and gain deeper understanding when they are able to explore, experiment, and test things for themselves across several disciplines. Our teachers are actively engaged with each child: asking questions, offering new ideas, and encouraging them to become the unique and valued individual they are. Our classrooms are always open to the parents, and our teachers are in frequent contact with them about their child’s growth and development.

St. Andrew’s Episcopal Preschool is a member of the National Association of Episcopal Preschools (NAES) and the Mid-Atlantic Episcopal Schools Association (MAESA).

Classes:

St. Andrew’s Preschool begins after Labor Day and ends just before Memorial Day.
All classes meet from 9:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
The two-day classes meet on Thursday and Friday. The three-day classes meet Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. The four-day class meets Monday thru Thursday. The five-day class meets Monday thru Friday.
Children are put into classes with children of similar ages. They are grouped by birth date and number of days preferred.
Optional stay for Lunch Bunch and Nature Explorers are offered throughout the month for all students who are fully potty-trained.
Nature Explorers is a nature-based guided play experience in our outdoor classroom. Children eat a picnic lunch outside followed by a thematic lesson and related activities.
Optional Enrichment Classes are offered to Pre-K students three times a week.
We follow Fairfax County Public Schools for holidays, teacher work days, school closings and delayed openings due to inclement weather.

2 ½ Year Olds:

Children must be 2 years old by March 31 in order to begin our program in September.
Classes for the 2 ½ year olds have a maximum of 10 students to 2 teachers.
Two-and-a-half year olds must be in the process of toilet training.
Two-and-a-half year olds may only attend two-day classes.

3 Year Olds:

Must be three by September 30 the year they enter preschool.
Classes have a maximum of 12 students to 2 teachers.
Must be toilet trained.
Three-year-olds may attend either two-day or three-day classes.

4 Year Olds:

Must be four by September 30 the year they enter preschool.
Classes have a maximum of 14 students to 2 teachers.
Must be toilet trained.
Four-year-olds may attend a two-day, three-day, four-day, or five-day class.

5 Year Olds:

Must be five by September 30 the year they enter preschool.
Classes have a maximum of 14 students to 2 teachers.
Must be toilet trained.
Five-year olds may attend three-day, four-day, or five-day classes, but we recommend five days for these older students.