Wilson Preschool is a parent participation and parent education preschool where parents and children learn together. We use a developmentally-appropriate curriculum based on the HighScope model where children learn through hands-on experiences and active play. We respect and celebrate our families’ diversity and provide a safe and nurturing environment. Parents actively participate in their children’s classrooms once a week. Through their participation, parents learn ways to foster their children’s social, emotional, physical, intellectual, and creative development.

Applications for the 2023-24 School Year

Are you interested in joining our classes for toddlers, twos, threes and fours next school year? To apply, please complete an application and our office staff with contact you about class placement. Once you are placed in a class, you will be asked to submit a non-refundable $85 registration fee to secure your spot.

Please check out the video below to learn about our program, see our classrooms and meet our staff. You can also refer to our FAQs and call or email with any questions.

Our Philosophy

Wilson Preschool follows the HighScope curriculum. For more information about HighScope, please visit highscope.org.

At Wilson Preschool…We believe parents are their child’s first and foremost teacher. We believe a partnership between parents and teachers creates a supportive learning environment for families.

At Wilson Preschool…We offer a hands-on, developmentally-appropriate preschool curriculum based on the High Scope model in which children learn through play and grow at their own pace.

At Wilson Preschool…We believe a strong preschool foundation with parent engagement leads to increased student achievement in K-12.

At Wilson Preschool…We have a professional, caring staff with strong backgrounds in early childhood development. Our teachers are also credentialed parent-educators.

By offering a quality parent education preschool, we are helping build stronger families and, ultimately, stronger communities.

Parent Participation

Part of what makes Wilson Preschool special is that parents actively participate in their child’s classroom. Parents work in the class one day per week (3 hours). Parents attend a 40-minute parent education discussion with the teacher and other parents during class time. Parent education curriculum provides tools for working with children in a school setting.

Parent Handbook

Parent Education Classes

We are currently offering Raising Resilient Children with Christopher Glover and a parent support group with Josiane Sawaya and Nancy Ronconi. Please visit the Family Resource Center to learn about parent education opportunities offered through Santa Clara Unified School District.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, our program is open to everyone, regardless of where they live. Santa Clara Unified families receive priority when demand exceeds class-size capacity.
Santa Clara Unified has been working closely with the county to ensure its schools follow all covid safety protocols. SCUSD will support Wilson Preschool to be sure that our school has all the resources needed to fully compliant with all current covid safety requirements.
No. If a child needs help in the restroom, our teachers and aides can assist him/her.
We occasionally offer optional evening classes or other events, but parent education discussions are held during the class time. Half of the parents participate in a parent education discussion with the teacher while the other half supervises the children outside along with the classroom aide
Our September 1st birthdate cutoff requirement is aligned with the school district and all other California schools, so your child will remain at the same class for the entire school year. This will enable you and your child to build stable friendships with others in your class, as these are the same children your child will continue with through school, should you remain in the district. Every child in the class is also getting older throughout the year as well and the curriculum will reflect that.
Because Wilson is a parent education program, we require the child’s attending adult to be a parent or grandparent.
Infants up to 6 months are allowed to come with the parent to class. You will need to find alternate care for siblings older than 6 months.
In our toddler class there are 16 children, one teacher and 16 parents. In our twos class there are 18 children, one teacher, one aide and 18 parents. In our threes and fours classes, there are between 20-23 children, one teacher, one aide and 6-8 parents.
Yes, you will be assigned a day of the week that will be your workday and that will be consistent all year. If your schedule changes and you need to change your workday, your teacher will do her best to accommodate your needs
If you are in the toddlers or twos class and you are sick, simply stay home with your child. If you are in the threes or fours, you will be responsible for finding a substitute. Typically, you would contact other parents in the class to see if anyone could cover for you. You could arrange to swap workdays for that week or work out a form of compensation for their assistance.

Parents are required to submit a clear TB assessment. While a skin test may be needed in some cases, your healthcare provider can often provide a clear assessment just by asking you a few simple questions.

As a parent education program, one of our goals is to help all children and parents use socially acceptable behavior. Parents and children will learn to use problem-solving techniques which will enable them to resolve conflicts without aggressive behavior

Parents are expected to work in the classroom one day a week. In addition, parents will support the class, program and school in the following ways:

1. Support the class by bringing snack for the class once per term.
2. Support the program by completing a parent project each term.
3. Support the school by attending one Saturday workday during the school year.
4. Support the school by participating in the annual fundraiser, the Giraffle

The HighScope educational approach emphasizes active participatory learning. This means children have direct, hands-on experiences with people, objects, events and ideas. The arrangement of a HighScope preschool classroom reflects the belief that children learn best in a stimulating but ordered environment in which they can make choices and act upon them. The classroom is divided into well-defined work areas and the materials in each area are logically organized. This enables the children to act independently and with as much control over the classroom environment as possible.

Our curriculum content contains the social, intellectual, and physical building blocks that are essential to young children’s optimal growth. Our content areas are aligned with state and national standards and are made up of key development indicators. The content areas are:

● Approaches to Learning
● Social and Emotional Development
● Physical Development and Health
● Language, Literacy and Communication
● Mathematics
● Creative Arts
● Science and Technology
● Social Sciences

If you would like to learn more about the HighScope curriculum, go to:
http://www.highscope.org

Contact

Contact: Santa Clara Adult Ed Front Office
Phone: 408-423-3500
Email: [email protected]
Address: 1840 Benton St. Santa Clara, CA 95050

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