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Youth
October 4 – 17, 2014
29
Miss Angela’s In-Home Preschool offers one-on-one teaching BY ALISON STANTON
When Claire Anderson was looking for a preschool for her twins, Breanna and Taylor, to attend, she decided to enroll them in Miss Angela’s In-Home Preschool in Chandler. Anderson says her children attended the in-home preschool for two years and finished this June. “We loved Miss Angela’s,” Anderson says of the classes taught by Angela St. Louis in her home. Anderson’s children found St. Louis to be so nurturing that they didn’t want to leave the classroom at the end of the school day. “She has a warm and friendly environment, and academically and socially they were more than prepared for kindergarten. Angela makes school fun and gets them ready for kindergarten by talking about what to expect.” St. Louis, who opened her in-home preschool in 2004, says she loves working with 3- and 4-year-old students, helping to teach them phonics and art. She also offers plenty of unstructured time for play and fun. “Right now, we have school on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 to 11:30 in the morning, which works out well in case there’s a holiday on Monday or families leave on Friday for a vacation,” she says.
The kids are all in one classroom, St. Louis says, but because she keeps her class size so small, she is able to give every student one-on-one instruction and guidance. She is accepting new students. “If I have them doing a worksheet, I’ll have one for the 3-year-olds and one for the 4-year-olds. And I can work with them individually, and I can work with them on prereading as well.” St. Louis started teaching when she was in college at a preschool that was on campus. After graduation, she worked as a kindergarten teacher. “I did some different jobs after that, but I always wanted to get back into teaching. I opened my preschool when my daughter was young, and I just love it,” she says. As a mom, St. Louis says she understands that starting preschool can be scary—not only for the child, but for the parents, too. “This is especially true if the child has been at home the whole time before starting school,” she says. “At my preschool, the kids have the same teacher the entire time, and it’s a very consistent thing for them. I’ve had many families where I teach all of their kids.” Because she also knows that a great deal of learning happens when kids are
BUSY AND HAPPY KIDS: When Angela St. Louis’ daughter, Samantha, middle, is home from school on vacation, she enjoys helping her mom in her in-home preschool class. Submitted photo
not working on academic subjects, St. Louis says she schedules plenty of other projects that will also teach her students important skills they will learn in school. “They learn how to sit still during group time, and they learn how to follow directions when we are having art time,” she says. “And since we learn through play just as much as when we are in class, I have two 20-to-30 minute free-time sessions each day when the kids can choose whatever they want to do.” Karyn Pacifico’s son Ryan attended Miss Angela’s In-Home Preschool for
two years. She says she was impressed with the small class size and the special things St. Louis does for the kids and parents at holiday time. “Angela is one-of-a-kind, and the kids and parents alike love her and her school,” she says. For more information about Miss Angela’s In-Home Preschool, call (480) 899-0553 or visit www. missangelaspreschool.vpweb.com. Alison Stanton is a freelance writer who lives in the East Valley. She can be reached at alison@santansun.com