Playgroup Plus

THE ARK Playgroup Plus is an outreach program of Community Church: A United Methodist Congregation in Harrison City.  It is designed to serve interested families in the surrounding area.  THE ARK Ministry Council and staff members work together to ensure the highest quality program exists for your child.

THE ARK Playgroup Plus will foster your child’s development by providing an environment where children are encouraged to express themselves, be creative, make choices and develop a sense of independence and personal worth.

THE ARK Playgroup Plus Philosophy:  We are a “developmentally appropriate” Preschool, which was designed after the Carnegie Mellon University Preschool.  “Developmentally appropriate” describes an approach to teaching that respects both the age and the individual needs of each child.  We look at the “whole child”, including intellectual, social, emotional, physical and creative growth.  Every child develops at his own rate.  As teachers we use this information to carefully plan activities that are not too simple or too difficult, but are designed to help each child learn and grow.

“Developmentally appropriate” activities are open-ended so children at different developmental levels can participate with equal success.  Young children understand things when they use or experience them directly.  They learn more through play than any other way, as it encourages self-expression, problem solving, creativity and a way to test new ideas.  We enhance learning by offering many hands-on activities.

Playgroup Plus Goals

Socialization skills are stressed.  A Playgroup Plus day may include such activities as circle and story time where children can develop listening and memorization skills through the use of songs and finger plays.  The children will be exposed to concepts such as shapes, colors, alphabet, sounds and numbers.  Other activities include art, bike riding, play-dough, large and small motor skill games,table and snack time.

Enrollment

THE ARK Playgroup Plus is designed to meet the needs of children who are between 2½ and 4 years of age.  Your child must be at least 2 years old as of March 1st in order to be eligible to enroll in the next school year.  Our classroom environment combines children ranging from 2 ½ to 4 years old in the same classroom, allowing children to obtain advanced socialization skills through peer learning.  An AM session and a PM session will be offered each day.  A child may attend one session per day, either once or twice a week.

Enrollment in AM or PM session, not both, is required.

The Playgroup Plus sessions are as follows (Oct-May):

AM Session - Tuesday and Thursday  9:00 A.M. to 11:30 A.M.
PM Session - Tuesday and Thursday 12:30 P.M. to 3:00 P.M.

To provide an adjustment period for the children, September classes will be held:

AM Session - Tuesday and Thursday  9:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M.
PM Session - Tuesday and Thursday 12:30 P.M. to 2:30 P.M.

The student/teacher ratio will not exceed one teacher for every six children. 

Registration for the next school year occurs in early February. A $30.00 registration fee will be required and is refundable only if we are unable to provide a space for your child.  When classes are full, your child will be placed on a waiting list and contacted when there is a vacancy.   Our classes fill quickly, so please contact our registrar at 724-744-3413 ext. 150 to enroll your child.  When classes are full, your child will be placed on a waiting list and contacted when there is a vacancy. A registration form is also available online for you to print out and mail in along with your registration fee. Click here to download registration form.

Tuition

Click here to obtain the current tuition rate for the Playgroup Plus.

We ask that all tuition payments be made prior to the first of each month.  Your first month’s tuition will be due the night of Parent Orientation in mid August.  Tuition payments may be placed in the Parent Box located in Fellowship Hall or may be mailed to the church.  Checks should be made payable to CUMC- THE ARK.  If you anticipate any difficulties with monthly payments, please contact THE ARK Ministries Treasurer at 724-744-3413.

Playgroup Plus Staff

Our Director and Playgroup Plus Teacher earned her Bachelor of Education degree and brings a wealth of knowledge and creativity to our program.   We also have a Teaching Assistant and several Teacher’s Aides who provide a loving and comfortable environment for your child’s first school experience.  Our teachers have a combined total of over 30 years with THE ARK. 

School Closings

THE ARK Playgroup Plus follows the Penn-Trafford School District Calendar.  School closings and delays, due to inclement weather, will be announced on radio and TV.  We abide by Penn-Trafford’s decision.  In the event of a morning delay in Penn-Trafford our modified schedule is as follows:

AM SESSION – 11:00AM TO 12:30PM
PM SESSION –   1:30PM TO   3:00PM 

On early dismissal days, our modified schedule will be:

AM SESSION –   9:00AM TO 10:30AM
PM SESSION –  11:30AM TO   1:00PM

On rare occasions Playgroup Plus may need to be cancelled because of church events.  A notice will be placed in your child’s cubby and posted on a bulletin board near your child’s room.

Parents Involvement

THE ARK Preschool maintains an “open door” policy.  We welcome you into our classroom at any time.  Parents are always encouraged to participate in our celebrations ranging from visitors from the community, to a field trip to the zoo or museum, to three special holiday parties and our end of the year carnival. 

The teachers will be available to answer questions for a few moments after each session. If you need additional time to ask questions, arrangements can be made by contacting the registrar at 724-744-3413, extension 150.

FAQs