Whitehouse Prep School –› FAQ
F.A.Q's
Q. Why should I consider a private school?
A. A private school offers small classes, dedicated teachers, individual teacher guiding, motivated peers, parental involvement, a global learning perspective and a supportive, respectful community. An academic curriculum is offered that challenges each child ensuring that they reach their fullest potential.
Q. What is Whitehouse Preparatory School’s student teacher ratio?
A. The 8:1 student-to-teacher ratio equals an average class size of 11 to 15 students. Small class size promotes student participation and effective learning. When teachers know students well, academic achievement and student responsibility are the result.
Q. What distinguishes Whitehouse Preparatory School from daycare centers?
A. We offer a structured educational program especially designed for 3 to 6 year olds. Our program is one that academically challenges all children with a developmentally appropriate curriculum with instruction in literacy, math, science, social studies, art, music, violin, Mandarin Chinese, physical education and acting. All classes are taught by state certified teachers with a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education. In most daycare centers, the teachers have associate’s degrees and they teach the same group for their 8 hour shift. Our enrichment classes are taught by teachers who are experts in their field and enrichment classes are a part of our regular program. There are no additional fees for enrichment.
Q. What credentials do the classroom teachers have?
A.
All classroom teachers have a minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education and teaching experience.
Q. Why do you have a two year kindergarten program?
A.
The reason we designed a two-year Kindergarten program is because it is critical that children learn their basic skills correctly from the very beginning. Too often children come to Kindergarten from various pre-schools and day care centers with either a weak basic skill set or with skills that were improperly taught. These children are at a disadvantage since they are forced to spend a good deal of time in Kindergarten going back and re-learning these skills. Having children start in our K-I or Pre-School avoids this set back and they learn their basic skills the right way from the very start. This, of course, allows for deeper and more thorough instruction and children are better situated to learn much more. Indeed, by the end of the K-II year, our students are learning first grade skills which position them to enter first grade with far more confidence than their peers.
Q. What is your after school program like?
A.
Our after school program is enriching with a two year curriculum where the children learn academic skills in a fun and exciting program. One year they learn about the 50 States and the following year they learn the 7 Continents and about various customs and cultures around the world. The program is playful yet very enriching.
Q. How can I find out more information about your school?
A.
You can call the school office at 908-534-0026 or stop in for a tour of the school at any time.
Q. Why do you teach violin?
A. We value highly our instruction in violin since research shows that early instruction in a musical instrument helps develop parts of the brain that are associated with language and reasoning ability. Moreover, music is integral to developing spatial intelligence and the ability to perceive the world accurately and to formulate mental impressions of things. It is this kind of intelligence that allows a person, for instance, to visualize the many elements of a larger task, such as solving a complex mathematical problem or making sure the book bag is packed with everything that will be needed for the day. This is a wonderful program that is taught by an accomplished violinist and violin teacher for many years, Helen Martin. It should also be noted that our violin instruction is integrated into our daily curriculum at no additional cost. For more information about Helen Martin and her teaching style and experience, please visit: http://www.thewholestring.com/.
