Preschool Program
Philosophy
The Creative Play Center has been nurturing hands-on-learning through the small group experience since 1980. Our preschool program is a mixed age group of 2 1/2 -5 year olds. We believe children learn best through experiences, and we provide developmentally appropriate materials to encourage their curiosity and allow them the space to wonder and discover. The children are given the opportunity to choose from a variety of activities throughout the day and the structured, theme based curriculum is woven in to provide more project based learning. During a particular theme, ideas are introduced and the children decide which direction and how in depth the class explores a particular subject.
Field Trips
Field trips are an integral part of our program. We believe it is important to cement the ideas we have been learning about in the classroom with real life experiences outside of the classroom. Therefore we try to be sure we take at least one field trip every month to supplement current activities. Past trips include Chabot Space and Science Museum, The Discovery Museum in Sausalito, or The Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. As a small group, we can take all 12 children in our 2 vans with 5-point harnesses. If there is a cost for the field trip, we will ask the parents to contribute.
Preschool Daily Schedule
This is an example of a typical day at CPC.
We have music class once a week with instruments for the children to play, and we go to Head Over Heels Gymnastics in Emeryville once a week.
| 8:00 – 9:00 | Before School Care |
|---|---|
| 9:00 – 10:15 | Free Choice and Small Group Activities |
| 10:15 – 10:30 | Clean Up Time |
| 10:30 – 10:45 | Snack (We provide) |
| 10:45 – 11:00 | Circle (Large Group) |
| 11:00 – 12:00 | Outside Play |
| 12:00 – 12:30 | Lunch (You provide) |
| 12:30 – 12:50 | Choice Time |
| 12:50 – 1:00 | Story and Goodbye Circle |
| 1:00 | Pick up time for children not staying extended hours |
| 1:00 – 3:00 | Naps or Choice Time with special projects |
| 3:00 – 3:30 | Afternoon Snack (We provide) |
| 3:30 – 5:00 | Free Choice and Small Group Activities |
| 5:00 – 6:00 | Extended Care |
Admission Process & Tours
Our program follows the Albany Unified school calendar, starting in mid-August and ending in June with weekly summer camps.
We begin offering tours in January for the following fall. When you schedule a tour, you will receive an application. We will notify you in February if there is room for your child in the fall. There is an application fee of $75 due with your application and $100 deposit toward your first month’s tuition is due upon acceptance.
Tours
Tours are 9:30 am for the preschool and 2:15 for the Homework Club by appointment only.
Waitlist
We will stop offering tours once we are full and place you on a waitlist. We clear our waitlist every year. Contact us in January, if you are still interested in the following fall.
Preschool Monthly Fees 2024-25
Payable one month ahead.
(July 1st payment due for August care.)
| 9:00 – 1:00 | Tuesday and Thursday | $320 |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, Wednesday, Friday | $480 | |
| Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday | $800 |
Extended Care:
| # Days | 1:00 – 2:00 | 1:00 – 3:00 | 1:00 – 5:00 | 1:00 – 6:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Day | $40 | $80 | $160 | $200 |
| 2 Days | $80 | $160 | $320 | $400 |
| 3 Days | $120 | $240 | $480 | $600 |
| 4 Days | $160 | $320 | $640 | $800 |
| 5 Days | $200 | $370 | $800 | $1000 |
Cost of Full Time Care:
| 9:00 – 5:00 | Monday – Friday | $1600 |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00 – 6:00 | Monday – Friday | $2000 |
Drop in care available by appointment at $15 per hour