our school & our philosophy Bel Air Presbyterian Preschool has been established to provide primarily, a full-day, Christian-oriented Preschool program (with limited part-time availability) that will benefit the child, family, community and church. We recognize and validate the need for a creative, God-centered atmosphere where children can grow and learn in an environment of love and respect. We recognize the need for interaction with other children, the need for loving, specially-trained teachers, and the need to have God be an integral part of our lives. This Preschool is the realization of the dreams, plans, and hard work of our former Director of Children’s Ministries, Ruth Gosting. As a church-related Preschool, we recognize the spiritual side in all of us; the need to know God and to know that He is personally involved in the world and in each of our lives. We talk about how God made the world and the beauty in it that comes from Him. We talk about how He cares for each of us. We pray as teachers and we give the children many opportunities to pray as well. We introduce the children to the Son of God, Jesus, first as a baby as we recall the incredible events of the first Christmas, and then as a child and later as a grown-up who loved the world and healed people and said, “Let the children come unto me.” At Easter, we emphasize the fact that He is alive and loves us today. Our developmental philosophy at Bel Air Presbyterian Preschool is based on fundamental principles of the growth and development of children. Generally, the order of these developmental stages is predictable, however, the time and sequence of these stages is unique to each child. Curriculum is planned so children can advance through the developmental stages at their own rate of growth. Each child comes with his or her own individual style and rate of learning; we continuously seek to adapt our program to meet the individual needs of each child. Our diversified program will focus on the primary developmental domains, offering activities to further enhance and solidify the social-emotional, cognitive, creative, physical and spiritual growth and development in young children. Bel Air Presbyterian Preschool is a non-profit, interracial and non-political institution founded by Bel Air Presbyterian Church. The church Session is the governing body of elected leaders in the church and the Preschool Committee is the forum to which policy decisions are made and carried out. Bel Air Presbyterian Preschool is a member of the Church Related Early Childhood Education Fellowship (CRECEF), the Southern California Association for the Education of Young Children (SCAEYC), the California Association for the Education of Young Children (CAEYC), and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). In 1995, Bel Air Presbyterian Preschool was accredited by the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs, a division of NAEYC. Our staff members are experienced Early Childhood Educators and participate in a continuous program of educational development. Bel Air Presbyterian Preschool enjoys ethnic, economic and faith diversity in the families who make up our student body. While we invite people of all races, creeds and backgrounds to apply, we maintain our commitment to be a church related Christian preschool as our curriculum reflects. Enrollment is inclusive of, but not limited to, the Bel Air Presbyterian Church membership, in accordance with our commitment to ministry and outreach in our communities. The Preschool Committee, with the counsel of the Admissions Team, maintains the responsibility for enrollment in the school.