About New Life Preschool

"Let your light shine." Matthew 5:16

New Life UMC Preschool Mission Statement:

New Life Preschool is a ministry of New Life UMC that partners with parents to provide a loving, nurturing and developmentally appropriate environment for children to grow to their fullest potential emotionally, socially, spiritually, physically, creatively, and cognitively.

Educational Philosophy

The teachers of New Life Preschool make every effort to build their lessons around developmentally appropriate practices by

• Making lessons meaningful to children and related to what they already know
• Teaching in a way that recognizes that children do not learn in the same way; they aren’t interested in learning the same thing as everyone else all the time
• Providing instruction that is physically and mentally active – children should be actively involved in learning activities by building, creating, experimenting, investigating, and working collaboratively with their peers
• Providing hands-on activities with concrete objects and manipulatives as opposed to workbook and worksheet activities

The Power of Learning Through Play

At New Life, we believe young children learn best when they are actively involved in their own learning—when they are curious, engaged, moving, creating, wondering, and playing. Play is not something that happens after the "real learning” is finished. The play itself is the learning. When children build a bridge with blocks, create a pretend restaurant, investigate something they find in the woods, or work together to solve a problem, they are developing the very skills that will serve them for years to come: thinking critically, communicating, collaborating, persevering, solving problems, managing emotions, and making connections.

Our classrooms are intentionally designed to give children time and space for this kind of meaningful play. Teachers observe closely, listen to children's ideas, and then extend their thinking with thoughtful questions, new materials, and experiences that build on what naturally interests them. A child who is deeply engaged in building isn't simply "playing with blocks”—she is exploring balance, spatial relationships, planning, persistence, and cause and effect. A group of children creating an imaginary world is practicing language, negotiation, creativity, perspective-taking, and social problem-solving. These moments may look simple from the outside, but they are rich with learning.

We want children to leave New Life not only knowing more, but loving to learn. We believe childhood is a time to build a strong foundation of curiosity, creativity, and connection—and that children don't have to give up the joy of childhood in order to be prepared for what comes next. In fact, when children have the opportunity to learn through meaningful play, they are building the skills that will help them become capable and confident learners long after they leave our classrooms.

Messy Play

Children need opportunities to experience materials with their whole bodies. At New Life, messy play is a natural part of our classrooms and outdoor spaces, giving children the freedom to explore materials without a predetermined outcome. Open-ended materials invite children to scoop, pour, mix, squeeze, build, take apart, and begin again.

There is a kind of learning that happens when children are free to experiment without worrying about keeping things neat or getting the "right” result. They notice how materials feel, how they change, what happens when two things are combined, and what they can do with them. They make observations, test ideas, solve problems, and often discover something they did not expect. At New Life, we see this kind of hands-on exploration not as a break from learning, but as an important part of how young children learn best. We encourage families to send children to school dressed and ready to get messy each day!

Goals of the Preschool Program:

Our goals are to provide a strong educational foundation for children and to prepare them for kindergarten and the world beyond. We accomplish this by providing an enriching, caring, and creative environment where children learn through the joy and adventure of hands-on play. These stimulating experiences offer children the opportunity to explore their environment and practice skills within a classroom setting, shared with their peers. In a loving, Christian atmosphere, we guide children to reach their full potential to become problem solvers who are self-reliant, confident, respectful, compassionate and responsible. We are sensitive to developing each unique child, and we seek to instill a lifelong love of learning.

We desire to carry out these goals through standards of excellence which include:

• widening and deepening each child’s understanding of self, home, school, community, and God
• developing each child’s self esteem
• creating within each child a respect for others and self
• developing the desire to work and play together and to acquire peer relationships
• aiding each child in his/her natural curiosity about all things
• teaching each child to care for personal needs
• providing an atmosphere that will promote creative responses to music, stories, art, and play
• respecting each child’s ideas and opinions
• providing opportunities for parents to interact with other families, knowledgeable preschool staff, and a loving church family

Recent Awards

• Department of Wildlife Resources "Virginia Naturally Schools" Award Recipient
• Winnie.com-"Best Child Care" and "Best Educational Experience" in Midlothian
• Richmond Sportsbackers- Active RVA Certified School Award
• Midlothian's Best Awards-"The Best Preschool"
• Hulafrog's "Most Loved Preschool"
• Richmond Times-Dispatch Richmond Region "Best Preschool/Childcare" Nominee

"Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”― Benjamin Franklin