Stella Piccolo Preschool

Stella Piccolo Preschool Logo

Playground at Stella Piccolo Preschool

Stella Piccolo is a nurturing preschool program serving 3 to 5 year old children. Our goal is to provide a positive environment where belonging and respect facilitate curiosity and active learning. At Stella Piccolo, children explore their environment through a carefully planned play atmosphere. As a result, our students focus on individual interests and skills at a developmentally appropriate level. Additionally, Stella Piccolo uses the High/Scope ® educational approach as a guide to ensure children develop skills in areas of academics, communication, social and motor development. High/Scope ® is an active learning approach to education focusing on children’s interests & choices. Using the daily “plan-do-review” process, children plan some of their own activities, carry them out, and share what they have done and what they have learned with others. Independence, responsibility and confidence are important skills facilitated in our classroom using the High/Scope ® approach.

A wide variety of materials and learning experiences are available every school day to promote developmental growth opportunities for each child. Some examples of the many available materials and activities include:

Arts & Crafts – Playdough^Ó, painting, collage materials, & sensory experiences (shaving cream, flour, corn starch, etc.)

Construction & Building – Legos^Ó, trains, blocks, marble mazes and a “supporting cast” of animals, people, cars & trucks

Reasoning & Thinking – Puzzles, beads, gears, sewing cards, pattern blocks

Dramatic Play – Dress-up clothes, dolls, kitchen & housekeeping

Books – favorites Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?, and Noisy Nora as well as current titles Tough Boris, I Stink, and Next, Please are a few titles to choose from within a large selection of children’s books

Outdoor Play – Tricycles, climbing structures, sand, balls, chalk

Snack – Provided daily

Classes are held on Monday, Wednesday and Friday or Tuesday and Thursday from 9:00am until 12:00 noon. Families interested in a 5 day program should contact the director.

Location:

Stella Piccolo is located within a San Mateo County Office of Education school site and shares a campus with San Mateo County’s Infant and Early Childhood Education (ECE) Programs for children with special needs. Stella Piccolo and ECE students regularly interact with one another; small groups of students from our program visit the ECE program while small groups from the ECE program visit ours. During these visits children participate in interactive play and/or small group activities providing valuable opportunities for students to interact within diverse groups.

Admission Policy:

To be eligible for enrollment, children must meet a minimum age requirement (3 years by December 1^st of the school year) and be toilet trained. Your child’s physician must certify good health upon admission as well as proof of state required immunizations. We accept children regardless of race, religion, nationality or ethnic origin.

To Enroll:

Complete and return the enclosed application form along with a $30.00 application fee. Upon acceptance of your application a registration packet will be mailed to you. Your child’s place will be secured when the completed packet and payment for the first month of attendance is returned to Stella Piccolo.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The $30.00 application fee is not refundable

Family Involvement:

Direct parent involvement is not required, however, parents are always welcome to visit at any time. If parents are interested in volunteering in the classroom or spending extended periods of time, a current TB test must first be provided as required by licensing standards.

Staff:

Our staff is committed to the education of young children through a developmentally appropriate and child-centered approach. Stella Piccolo is dedicated to providing a positive environment in which children and adults feel a sense of belonging, each child's development is carefully supported, and a love for learning is continuously demonstrated.

Founder:

Leanne Runyan, Stella Piccolo’s Director and Head Teacher, holds a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education with a minor in Developmental Child Care and a Masters of Education in Early Childhood Special Education from the University of Illinois. Leanne completed California credential requirements at San Francisco State University and holds multiple California credentials including the Cross-cultural, Language and Academic Development (CLAD) certificate.