Preschool Fair & Craft Extravaganza

Preschool Informational Fair!
Saturday, January 26th, 2008
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 Noon
Islander Middle School

2008-2009 School Year Kindergarten Information
Tuesday, January 11th: Kindergarten Visitation Day at the Elementary Schools.
No children- there should be another visiting day in February or March.

Monday, January 28th: Kindergarten round-up at 7:00pm at Island Park Elementary.

We thank all the participants who either presented or attended the 2007 Preschool Fair. One copy of the materials, which programs made available at the fair, are in a binder at the Mercer Island Public Library in the Children's area. Please feel free to go in and use this reference material. Two other locations for information include the Preschool Openings link and the MIPA Preschool Handbook.

Are you looking for a preschool program, child care facility or enrichment program for your young ones? Then join us, Saturday, January 26th from 10:00am–12:00pm at Islander Middle School for the Preschool Informational Fair! This event is the perfect opportunity to gather information about and interact with local schools and programs from around Mercer Island. Free admission for all MIPA members. We hope to see you there!

While parents will be able to gather information from approximately 25 area preschools, enrichment programs and summer camps, children will be able to enjoy craft tables and activities sponsored by local preschools and enrichment programs. Parents attending the event will:

Receive a MIPA Handbook, which contains contact and registration information for each of the schools, along with a brief program description.

Pick up a childcare questionnaire - an important tool in helping to select the right environment for your child.

Have an opportunity to talk briefly with representatives from each of the schools, and gather written informa- tion (brochures, registration deadlines, etc.) to review at home.

The Preschool and Craft Fair Extravaganza is a "one - stop" place to see all of the options and narrow down the list of schools that parents may wish to consider further. This is the perfect opportunity to gather high level information and get a good first impression of the area programs. With this information in hand, parents can then choose to schedule a tour or a meeting to talk in more detail with the preschool director at a later date.

We know how important choosing a childcare provider is and so we would like to offer the following list of considera- tions for you to use during your tour of the fair:

Daycare or preschool

Full-day or part-time

Location / proximity to home

Hours

Age requirements

Potty-training requirements

Nutritional needs --- if meals or snacks are provided

Teaching styles (i.e., Montessori)

Introduce a foreign language

Affiliated with a church

Home-like environment

Co-op

We hope that the MIPA families find this to be a useful resource as well as a great morning of fun for the kids. We are looking forward to having each of the MIPA families enjoy this Extravaganza!! See you there!

For more information, please contact co-chairs, Suzanne LaCrosse Wen (545-9195), Jaimie Shea (232-0300) and Heather Kurt (232-2798)

Note: When you join MIPA, you will also receive the MIPA Preschool Handbook, which is a comprehensive listing of the day care programs and preschools in our area.