There's More to Open House...

Explorer Open House is coming up!  Here are the details.

Explorer Open House

Monday, February 13th, 2012

9:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Fall 2012 Enrollment

Open House is a great way for everyone to see the parent participation program we have at Explorer Preschool.  Please tell your friends, family, and neighbors with preschool-age children to come and visit us at Open House.  For those interested in coming to this event, there will be tours of the school and a chance to observe the classes in progress. There will be knowledgeable parents on hand to answer questions.

But, there’s more to Open House than meets the eye!  Keep reading to discover one parent’s perspective and emotional connection to the open house event last year…

By Solvay O’Leary, an MW2/MWF mom, Children’s Ed Committee Chair

New to the San Jose area, I first discovered Explorer Preschool while attending a Las Madres event in January of 2010.  I was looking for a parent participation preschool for my 2 ½-year old son (and eventually my 10-month-old daughter).  It immediately caught my interest mainly because we could walk to it from our new home.

What a gem I discovered when I toured the school later that month during the annual open house!  I loved the space right away.  It felt big, but purposeful.  I felt that a child could grow here and not feel confined by the same rooms each year.  The children would have freedom to move about and explore at their own pace.  A current parent joked that some kids sit at the snack table for the first few months and then one day decide “I’m going outside!” and aren’t seen again for snack for the rest of the school year!

During the tour, I had a chance to chat with some of the working parents.  These were people that I wanted to be friends with!  They were genuinely enthusiastic and interested in my children and me.  Although difficult to pinpoint the exact quality, it was obvious that my tour guide was genuinely comfortable at and proud of the school.  It seemed rushed to apply right then, but after touring the school and meeting the working parents, I had nothing to lose.  I was pleased to find out soon after visiting that we got a spot!

Jump forward one year and I found myself working at the open house.  My own feelings when touring were now corroborated: I was proud of my school and genuinely wanted prospective parents to feel the same good feelings I had felt about the space and working parents.  After spending time in the classroom and performing my various school commitments, I had realized how important it is to have a positive, strong parent base at our children’s schools.  Explorer’s respect for parents and focus on parent education is one of their key strengths and the driving force behind putting our best face forward at Open House.