C.C.’s Clubhouse, the premiere program in Verona for school-agers, is still enrolling for a summer of fun! C.C.’s is housed in its own building on our campus and is an amazing environment for the “big kids.” Our school-agers have their own computer lab with Apple computers and iPads, a fully stocked art center, cooking facilities for mini-classes, and a shady outdoor play area, to name just a few highlights. Field trips are planned to Camp Randall, the airport, Vilas Zoo, Ella’s Deli, local parks and pools and more!  Summer fun for your school-ager begins here!

A big cheer went up when we announced the opening this week of the newly remodeled lower playground! The children have been patiently watching the progress of the Bobcat and the work crew as they installed our beautiful new climbing structure, resurfaced the entire area, replaced all of our landscaping timbers, relocated some old favorite pieces and added a brand new sandbox and gardening box. What a great way to welcome spring and summer this year! We’re having a lot of fun exploring the swaying bridge, the general store panel, the various slides, the bongo drums and the telescope.

We have received our lists from the school district and now know which families have been placed with us for the new Pre-K program which begins in the fall. Letters welcoming families who are new to us have gone out and we will be contacting those families by phone in the near future to verify any extended day programming that may be needed. We are busy working with the district to create a wonderful collaborative program!

The school district has indicated they hope to have placement lists finalized this week for the new fall Pre-K program. After families receive their notification letters from the district, they can expect a follow-up from us with more information sometime in the following week or two. We have heard that some fall Pre-K families may wish to enroll for summer to allow a smooth transition and we will be happy to talk with individual families about availability for their child during the summer session.

Our priority pre-registration for current families is now complete. We are currently accepting registrations for summer and fall programs from new families. Classes are starting to fill and all classes are filled on a first-come/first-served basis.

Summer is a great time to be at The Caring Center! Our days are full of learning adventures, field trips, outdoor activities and fabulous friendships. We’d love to share more information and we invite you to call for a tour!

Our current families completed their priority registration process with us last week. The week of February 13th, pre-registered families still need to turn in an official school district registration form during the public registration times listed on the school district website and also on the forms. Not a current family with us? You can still request placement at our center for Pre-K and hand that in during public registration times. Thank you to everyone who visited us during our Open Houses last week. We ‘re excited about the new Pre-K program and hope to see many of you this fall!

There’s a lot of excitement in the air over the rolling out of the school district’s collaborative program with area preschools set to begin in the fall. As a part of that process, we will be offering times that families who may be interested in selecting our site for their child can have an opportunity to visit us. The district has suggested the week of January 30th for visits and we have planned the following:

Tues. Jan. 31  6:15-7:30 p.m.

Wed. Feb. 1  9:30-11:00 a.m. or 6:15-7:30 p.m.

Fri. Feb. 3  9:30-11:00 a.m.

Other times by appointment.

If you have questions prior to that time, we’d be happy to hear from you. We have been a part of the Verona community for almost 40 years and we’re looking forward to this new opportunity for more children to experience quality preschool programming.

The Verona school district has announced the dates and locations for informational meetings for parents who want to learn more about the Pre-K program set to begin in the fall of 2012. Parents of children who will be 4 years old on Sept. 1, 2012 are encouraged to attend one of the following meetings:

Jan. 4 6:30 p.m.   Country View Elementary School Step Room

Jan. 5  *6:30 p.m. Dane County Head Start  2096 Red Arrow Trail

Jan. 7  *9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Verona Area School District Central Office

Jan. 10  *6:30 p.m. Sugar Creek Elementary School Step Room

Jan. 11  9:15 a.m. Stoner Prairie Library

* these sessions will have a Spanish interpreter available

If your child will be 4 years old by Sept. 1, 2012 and you live in the Verona school district, your child will be eligible for the new Pre-K program being implemented. We will keep you informed about this exciting new program and let you know when you can register. Our current families will have priority registration for spots at our site.

Exciting things are happening as Verona is gearing up to start the new 4K (which will be known as Pre-K) program in the fall of 2012. At a meeting with the school district yesterday, we learned a few more details. Dates are being finalized for informational meetings in January for parents and as soon as those dates are firm, we’ll post them here for you. We did learn that registration will occur about mid-February, but our current families (or families who formerly had children here) will be allowed a priority registration period before that to ensure that children can maintain continuity with a familiar center. The curriculum of choice will be the Creative Curriculum, which our center already uses. Keep watching for more information as things are unfolding for Pre-K.