Circle of Friends Preschool
We are committed to preparing your child for success in school and life skills! Starting preschool is an exciting milestone in your child's life. Our licensed teachers set up classrooms to help children discover a love for learning while working on social emotional skills that will help get them ready for lifelong learning.
Our classes are for children three to five years of age. We use a whole-child approach that focuses on the individual needs and interests of our students through play-based learning. We base our school readiness standards on the Minnesota Early Childhood Indicators of Progress and staff follow a district approved Curriculum to guide their lessons. Our classes incorporate our district’s E-STEM philosophy. Our program has a 4-star Parent Aware rating.
2023-2024 cIRCLE OF FRIENDS Registration
Circle of Friends Preschool registration for the 2023-2024 school year is now open for all families.
2023-24 School Year
- Class Options & Tuition Fees
- How to Register
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Back-to-School Information 2023-24
- CALENDARS AND HANDBOOKS
- FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
- Withdrawal and Late Pick-Up Policy
Class Options & Tuition Fees
2023-2024
Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools is an E-STEM school district. E-STEM stands for Environmental, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. At Circle of Friends Preschool, we utilize both indoor and outdoor settings to learn about the world around us in real, meaningful ways.
*UPDATED FEES
- Declined Payment Fee - $25 / Transaction: This fee is assessed when payment by debit card, credit card, or bank account is declined.
- Late Payment Fee - $10 / Invoice: If payment of the monthly invoice is not received by end of day on the invoice due date, a late payment fee will be assessed.
CLASS FORMAT OPTIONS
Whether you choose a School Readiness or Nature School Readiness classroom setting, the E-STEM educational philosophy is integrated throughout all of our preschool programming.
- School Readiness: These preschool class options are located at Edgewood School. Classes do access both the indoor and outdoor learning environments.
- Nature School Readiness: This preschool class option is located at Jeffers Pond Elementary. The outdoors is the primary classroom with indoor spaces available as needed. We go outside in rain, snow & sunshine. We are able to assist with providing outdoor clothing as needed.
CHILDCARE OPTIONS
Child care options for students enrolled in Edgewood School are available through Kids' Company, the school district's child care program. Care is available for an additional fee and as a separate registration option through Kids’ Company. For more information, visit the Lakers Preschool Child Care website here.
How to Register
Submitting an application is the first step in the registration process. Early childhood coordinators review all submitted applications. Student placement will be determined based on completed enrollment information, family preferences as well as individual and group characteristics, such as previous preschool experiences or birth dates (ex. classes geared toward older 4/5 year olds or younger 3 year olds). While applications are being reviewed, your application status will remain "pending".
Once a contract has been accepted, the registration fee will be charged and is non-refundable.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR REGISTRATION
Frequently Asked Questions
CIRCLE OF FRIENDS PRESCHOOL - FAQs
How old does my child need to be to start preschool?
Children need to be 3 to 5 years old and fully independent in the bathroom.
Does my child need to be independent in the bathroom?
Yes, they do need to be fully independent in the bathroom. While we understand accidents happen, we are not a facility licensed to change diapers or pull-ups. If your child wets their pants, we can guide them to change their own clothing. If your child has a bowel movement, guardians will be called and asked to come to school to change them. View this link for tips.
Child Care
Kids' Company, the school district's child care program, will offer care to preschool families through a separate registration process. Once your child's enrollment has been finalized through Circle of Friends Preschool, please contact Kids' Company to register for child care. View the Kids' Company web page for program and contact information.
What if I'm placed on a waiting list?
If placed on a waiting list, our office will contact you to finalize enrollment as openings occur in your selected class(es). Students will be placed on a waiting lists for all classes listed on their application. Additional sections of popular classes can be added if there is enough interest.
Is financial assistance available?
Yes, but there is a limited amount of financial assistance available for families who meet criteria. View the Financial Assistance tab below for details on how to apply for an early learning scholarship.
What is your tax ID?
41-6007904 - It is printed on every invoice. Child Care Tax Statements can be found by logging into your Eleyo account.
Can I request to have or not have a certain teacher?
Please list your request in the comment section of the application. We will do our best to honor your request but cannot guarantee it. Teachers are not assigned to classes until after enrollment is finalized.
What does the all-day class at Jeffers Pond look like?
During this time families will be able to drop their students off as their schedule allows. We will encourage everyone to arrive early enough to ensure their child receives breakfast, as we won't be able to accommodate providing meals for those who arrive after this time.
Children will be engaged in different play/activities during this time that will align with the needs of the children. In the past, we've found children tend to seek out calm/quieter activities as they are often still waking up and/or struggling with the transition away from their adult. So in the past we have provided some opportunities to engage in art, puzzles, & small world play (such as a farm, doll house, etc).
Breakfast: Children will have the opportunity to eat breakfast at school. Many children often eat at home and this is an added snack before an active day of learning. More details on this will come soon.
Preschool Time with Teacher:
The teacher will likely join the class around 8:45/8:50 and begin the preschool portion of the day. Our primary classroom is the outdoors, where students will learn all the same skills & concepts (determined by the Minnesota Early Learning Standards & our program's assessment Teaching Strategies Gold) being taught in our traditional school readiness preschool option. The difference is that the Creative Curriculum units of study in a nature preschool program are centered around what the students are directly seeing and experiencing outdoors. Some units of study that children will likely learn about include the Seasons, Specific Animals (Bald Eagles, Mink, Ducks, Frogs, Fish etc. depending on what they encounter outside), Trees (including Maple Syruping in March), Snow & Ice, Water, Animal Homes, Seeds & Flowers, etc). Many of our units tend to flow in a cycle where they are introduced in the Fall as the students first experience the topic but then are revisited throughout the year as students obtain new knowledge and information & want to revisit the topic.
Group Time: Our class will include a group time where we engage in classroom community building activities, read stories, sing songs and engage in group discussions around our unity of study. In addition, we utilize this time to introduce and/or explicitly teach different skills/lessons. For example, we may do a math game to work on counting, or teach a social emotional lesson.
Nature journaling is a big piece of our Nature Preschool Curriculum. We use our journals as a way to document & share our learning with one another and our families. Students will draw/write about their discoveries and experiences during our time outdoors. It's a wonderful reflection tool that strengthens the students' learning experience, while also providing an opportunity to foster their love for writing, storytelling & drawing. Even our most reluctant writers have found a love for journaling. These journals are shared with you via a program called Seesaw.
Nature Play: A big portion of our day is Nature play, where students are actively learning through exploration and discovery. During this time children will be able to play using the natural materials in our outdoor classrooms. At Jeffers Pond we have over 10 "Nature Classrooms" including Wood Duck Woods, Fox Hollow, Coyote's Play Den, and Woodpecker Gully. Each spot provides an unique experience, and children's play often changes depending on where we are at. For example, one spot has a perfect tree that often brings out house/family dramatic play, whereas another area has lots of logs that children like to explore in search for worms and bugs. During this time the teachers are actively engaged alongside the students, asking questions about their discoveries, incorporating opportunities to work on different skills ("I see you found a lot of acorns, how many did you find?" "You have 5 acorns and I have 3 acorns, how many do we have together?" "Those do look like fox tracks. I wonder what the fox was doing when he walked through here? Let's make a story."). We also explicitly teach students the expectations for nature play activities, and have several safety parameters in place to ensure the children are being kept as safe as necessary and minimizing the risk of any severe injury from occurring. As a result, the likelihood of an injury occurring is no different than on the playground or in the indoor classroom. We share these expectations as we teach them so families can follow along at home.
Our time/duration outdoors will depend on the students' engagement, comfort (weather), and the learning activities. In the Fall & Spring, we may spend the entire duration of our preschool time outdoors, whereas in the winter it will be for shorter amounts with warm-up breaks indoors.
Lunch:
Students will be able to bring lunch from home or eat our school provided lunch. Typically this has an additional cost, but this year due to federal funding around Covid-19, it was free. We will communicate details for next year once they are known.
Quiet Time
After an active morning of outdoor learning, students are ready for rest time. We know that several children may no longer nap, but they still need time for their bodies to be calm & relax. After 20-30 minutes of resting, children who are not napping will be provided some additional activities to do quietly while the rest of the class sleeps. After an hour we do a soft wake up where we turn on the lights and expand the activity choices for the children that are awake.
Choice Time/Play & Snack
Children will be able to play in the classroom while having new/additional activities available that are different from their morning arrival time.
Children will have the opportunity to have a snack. More details soon on whether they will bring this from home or if a snack will be provided.
Gym: We will work with our phy-ed department to provide the students with an opportunity to play in the gym in the afternoon.
Outdoor Play: Depending on the interests of the children, we may go back outside for additional outdoor play.
Teacher Time:
The preschool teacher will provide guidance and oversight to the structure of the whole day. They will only be in the classroom for 4 or so hours, but will be on site and continue to provide the classroom teaching assistants with support as needed.
Communication About Learning:
"The most engaging Preschool experiences rarely come home in a backpack!"
While our students will have the opportunity to engage in open-ended and child-driven art in our classroom, most of the evidence of their learning won't come home in a backpack but instead through the conversations at home when they tell you about their adventures at preschool. To help support these conversations, you will receive regular updates via an app called Seesaw, where the teachers will share about the key learning that is happening & any events that occurred during our time together. This will give you some questions/prompts to engage your child in conversation, while also providing clarification on whether or not some of the stories are true. We've found in Nature Preschool that our adventures are often VERY different than traditional classroom experiences, so it helps to provide parents with additional details. For example, one class found a raccoon skeleton when digging in the woods, and were convinced that several of the bones were human ears due to their shape. So we shared information about their discovery and reassured families that the "human ears" were actually raccoon bones.
Back-to-School Information 2023-24
Enrolled/Confirmed Preschool Families
Welcome to Circle of Friends Preschool for the 2023-2024 school year. We are looking forward to an exciting year of growth and development as your child works and plays in an environment that is safe yet challenging. School begins the week of September 11, 2023.
Below are the links to preschool paperwork that needs to be completed and returned to Edgewood School. If you need hard copies of any of these forms, they will be available in the lower level entry of Edgewood School for families to pick up during school hours (Monday-Friday 8:00-2:00). Families needing assistance with filling out forms or with interpretation of forms, please contact the office. 952-226-0950
- Emergency Form *Required for preschool enrollment
- Health Form *Required for preschool enrollment
- MDE's Parent Letter-FAQ
- MDE Enrollment Form
- MDE Language Survey
- MDE Homeless Form
- MDE Ethnicity Form
- MDE Educational Benefits Form
- Copy of birth certificate *Required for preschool enrollment
- Copy of immunization records (Most clinics will fax immunization records to us directly) *Required for preschool enrollment
Please email, mail or drop off the attached paperwork, birth certificate and immunization records:
Edgewood School
Attn: Julie Miller
5304 Westwood Drive SE
Prior Lake, MN 55372
Fax: 952-226-0949
jumiller@plsas.org
We are looking forward to the opportunity to serve you and your child.
Your partners in education,
Erin Metoxen Lori Parker
Early Learning Coordinator Early Childhood Special Education Coordinator
emetoxen@plsas.org lparker@plsas.org
CALENDARS AND HANDBOOKS
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
If your family is in need of a scholarship to help with preschool tuition, a Pathway I Early Learning Scholarship application must be completed and submitted directly to the Families First of Minnesota office in Rochester Minnesota.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Families First of Minnesota communicates directly with families, they do not provide application status or scholarship award information directly to Circle of Friends Preschool. Be sure to keep our office updated on the progress of your application and the award status.
How do I apply for an Early Learning Scholarship?
To apply for a Pathway I – Early Learning Scholarship, the legal guardian of the child must follow these steps:
- Print and complete the application. Please be sure that all required areas have been completed and the application has been signed in ink. Electronic signatures will not be accepted.
- Include required proof of income either Option 1 or Option 2, listed on the application. The application will be returned if appropriate documents are not provided.
- Submit your original application to the Families First office in-person or by mail to: Families First of Minnesota | Early Learning Scholarships | 126 Woodlake Drive SE | Rochester, MN 55904
(Faxed or emailed applications will not be considered for a scholarship)
If you have questions about this application or scholarship program, please contact Families First of Minnesota directly: 1-888-450-2773 (Carver, Dakota and Scott County residents).
List of Area Administrators and eligibility criteria
Sliding tuition scale is available and is based on your family size and income level. Please click here to see if your family qualifies.
Withdrawal and Late Pick-Up Policy
WITHDRAWAL POLICY
Registration fees and first month's tuition are not refundable.
Withdrawals (before the school year begins)
If we are notified of a student withdrawal prior to May 1, the first month's tuition will not be charged. After May 1, refunds will be based on the program's ability to fill the vacancy. If we are able to fill the spot before the first day of preschool, a full refund will be issued for the first month's tuition. If the spot is still empty once school begins, the first month's tuition will be forfeited in order to cover program operating costs.
Withdrawals (during the school year)
A 30-day written notice to the preschool office at Edgewood School is required. Families are responsible to pay full tuition for the month of withdrawal.
lATE pICK-uP POLICY
It is extremely important that you pick up your child at the time stated for your class. We reserve the right to charge a $15.00 late fee for each five minute increment that a child is not picked up. We do understand that the curb-side pick up process may be delayed, and reserve the right to waive the late fee for circumstances deemed outside of your control.
Circle of Friends Preschool is a 4-Star Parent Aware rated program.
