About Us

Families as Partners in Education

Families play an integral role in many aspects of our school community. Parent participation in the education process is central to Palisades Preschool’s philosophy of early childhood education and, accordingly, is expected and required of all families. There are numerous opportunities to serve on a variety of committees, from facility maintenance and improvement to fundraising and event planning.

Parents are viewed as equal partners in the education and care of children. Realizing that culture and personal experience are highly significant influences upon the developmental goals that parents set for their children, our teachers and directors are aware of the importance of cultural sensitivity in communicating with family members about our program’s expectations for children. As a diverse preschool community, we seek to balance our program’s (American) goal that children become independent individuals with the goal (shared by many of the cultures represented at our school) that children become interdependent members of a group.

Teachers and directors are accessible and available to meet with parents on a regular basis. Formal conferences take place three times each school year, with the first one serving as an intake meeting where parents share their views and knowledge of their children. The second and third conferences allow teachers to share their observations and to collaborate with parents to support each child’s growth and learning.