History & Mission

History

Noah’s Ark Preschool is a mission of the Presbyterian United Church of Christ and was founded in 1991. It is licensed by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and is reviewed annually by HHS to ensure quality care and education. Noah’s Ark Preschool serves children ages 3-5 and adheres to objectives which are supported by the Iowa Early Learning Standards.

At Noah’s Ark Preschool, each class has an age-appropriate schedule which includes play-based and academic-based experiences and encourages routine. Activities are both teacher-led and child-selected. The curriculum focuses on skills necessary for kindergarten readiness. Examples of curricular areas include social-emotional development, physical well-being and motor development, approaches to learning, social studies, creative arts, science, math, and communication, language, and literacy. Children experience both outdoor and indoor learning environments and explore the community through various field trips and visitors.

At Noah’s Ark Preschool, the teachers and members of the Presbyterian United Church of Christ want all children to have opportunities for success as they embark upon their educational journeys, so tuition assistance is available for qualifying families.

Noah’s Ark Preschool employs two staff members (the Director/Teacher and the Assistant Teacher), who are certified in CPR, First Aid, Mandatory Reporting, and Universal Precautions. They also complete at least 10 hours of continuing education each year. The preschool uses the services of Area Education Agency (AEA), HHS, Northwest Early Childhood Iowa (NECI), Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R), Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, and Mid-Sioux Opportunity.

Mission

To make preschool a positive and happy foundation for the children and for their families
To meet each child’s physical, emotional, mental, social, and spiritual needs in a warm and friendly atmosphere
To provide a nondenominational Christian approach to preschool
To encourage a sense of right and wrong, to show love and respect for others, and to be guided by Christian values
To accept each child’s individual and unique needs and to meet them to the best of our abilities
To always remember that each child is a very special and important person with deep feelings and that each child has something to contribute
To provide age-appropriate activities and learning materials to develop self-care skills, language skills, academic skills, conversation and sharing skills, social skills, and large and small motor skills
To never be a substitute for parents but someone the child can count on for friendship, fairness, guidance, encouragement, love, and acceptance, no matter what the child’s behavior and developmental pattern.