Preschools serving Hampton Cove residents (Huntsville: chapel, credit, home)

[Charles]

We're looking for preschool recommendations for residents of the Hampton Cove area (including preschools located over the hill west).

We are really happy with Montessori in Colorado but the Montessori near HC is totally full. We're on the waiting list.

Does anyone have any experience with Hampton Cove Academy? The Hampton Cove Academy would be a no-brainer for convenience but we do understand it has a religious basis - something we'd like to avoid but not necessarily eliminate outright if everything else was acceptable - it depends. Does Hampton Cove Academy seem overly strict? Any comments on academics for preschool aged kids? Can a student avoid or be minimally immersed in the religious messages? I went to the Hampton Cove Academy website and read the core values and other information and I was really impressed - it seems like they are well organized, well staffed, well funded, and progressive. It just seemed really religious. Not sure if we can avoid that. We should stop in ask them directly I suppose.

The Primrose seems quite far from Hampton Cove.

[Huntsville82]

I think if you have issues with religious education, then a secular preschool would be more in line with your needs. As a parent, if I put my child in a church-based preschool, I do not want to have the curriculum watered down to meet the needs of those that are not interested in religious education. Just my two cents.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Charles

It just seemed really religious. Not sure if we can avoid that. We should stop in ask them directly I suppose.

OK, we went in and talked to three faculty members at the Hampton Cove Academy. We were really impressed with their approach to academics. They showed us four different daily schedules. The only thing that was obvious religion was bible study from 830-900 AM. The rest of the curriculum is pretty much academic with some religious themes. Maybe we can handle that. Also, we would just drop the kids off at 900AM to avoid the bible study.

One disturbing thing we read in the "A Beka Book" brochure provided by the school was something like " You can be assured that he will not be exposed to humanistic secular philosophies."

The facility was clean, modern, well staffed, and high tech. There were separate rooms for kids at different ages. We saw a whole row of PCs set up for the kids to use. They showed us the month's menu. Also, the facility is set for some major expansion.

[Huntsville82]

Originally Posted by Charles

One disturbing thing we read in the "A Beka Book" brochure provided by the school was something like " You can be assured that he will not be exposed to humanistic secular philosophies."
.

Why is that disturbing??? It is a Christian school and teaches Christian theology. The Abeka program is well-regarded. If you are set upon not having religious teachings for your child, then enroll your child in a non-religious school.

I'm sorry to sound as though I'm being argumentative, but what is disturbing *to me* is that someone would come into a school knowing that they are a church-school and then disagree with the fact that they are teaching religion. Boggles my mind.

Honestly, it sounds like you want to take advantage of the school system for their all of their wonderful benefits, yet do not want to subscribe to their teachings.

[zenjenn]

Well, as I told your wife, Montessori School of Huntsville would be my first choice. It is secular. Religion and holidays are discussed only in the context of learning about world cultures.

Montessori School of Huntsville (http://www.montessorihuntsville.org/Default.php - broken link)

After that I'd suggest looking into Faith Presbyterian until you can get past the MSH wait list.

Faith Presbyterian Preschool - ... to learn and to play!

As far as religious schools go, Methodist or Presbyterian are the denominations I'd choose as a non-Christian. My daughter's first year of preschool was at a Methodist school and it was fine. Actually better than fine, it was excellent, and in many ways better than the Jewish preschool she attended the following year. Faith Pres' religious curriculum consists of a Bible story in Circle Time and going to chapel once a month. Even if you are secular I don't think the simplified Bible stories are a bad thing to be exposed to. At the preschool level, many mainstream denominations (like Presbyterians) present these stories at an age appropriate "storybook" way, and from the perspective of being an educated person, secular too, it is basic knowledge to be familiar with the main stories and characters from the Bible, as the most widely-read piece of literature in our culture's history. I was raised in a secular home and I must say, as I matured, my Biblical ignorance is something I ended up finding a little embarrassing, since I generally considered myself a well-read person. I mean, no one even told me about Noah's Ark when I was a kid, and I didn't think Easter had any more relevance than, say, St. Patrick's Day, until I was well into my teens. That's not just being non-religious, that's being ignorant.

At least the Methodist school my daughter attended one was always good about communicating with parents what religious elements were discussed in school, which was always very simple, so we could expand upon it at home. Yes, my daughter came home saying Christmas was about baby Jesus, and it was a good launching point to explain what Christians believe, and what our beliefs are, and how they differ, in an age-appropriate way.

Of course, I personally prefer a Jewish program or, failing that, a secular program in which different religions are given equal time, thus the reason I chose MSH. But if MSH didn't exist I wouldn't hesitate to enroll in Faith Pres from what I know about it. It's what you teach at home that matters. A religious parent who is utterly non-observant at home is fooling themselves if they think a religious preschool is going to do their job for them, and similarly a secular or non-Christian parent is giving a school too much credit if they think their child is suddenly going to transform into a Christian because they read Bible stories in Circle Time. But of course, as a non-Christian parent, you still don't want to choose a school whose entire curriculum is Christian because then you aren't paying for what you want for your child. A quality preschool program in which a little religion is sprinkled in, however, I think can still do an excellent job of providing your child with more or less the kind of preschool experience you're looking for.

If you live in Hampton Cove, you are pretty much going to have to drive over the mountain to go to preschool unless you go to the Academy or Jumping Jack's, neither of which I think would work for you.

We were concerned about driving "over the mountain" for preschool, but really, I've found it to be no problem. It is 10 minutes, and often I'm over there anyways to go to Target or run other errands, so it works out - and since my husband has to drive over the mountain to go to work, her can drop her off at school most days so I only have to make one trip. And there are so many kids that many people carpool, or have playdates, and so you aren't making the trip necessarily every day. Just yesterday I had another kid in my car that another mom didn't have to go pick up.

[walkingtall4sure]

Hampton Cove Moms in Touch meet weekly to pray for the HC Elementary students. As a member, I look forward to meeting you.

[earthroamer21]

Originally Posted by Charles

Also, we would just drop the kids off at 900AM to avoid the bible study.

A couple of thoughts...

If you were moving to India, would you be shielding your children from exposure to Hinduism? Usually, when people move somewhere, it's by choice and they try to absorb the local culture. Christianity is part of the cultural fabric of the southern part of this country. Why not roll with it? Ultimately, you have far more influence over your kids than a school anyway.

My kids have been at Hampton Cove Christian Academy for 2 years and love it. We were not looking for a Christian school per se - just a safe, fun learning environment. My kids have had Jewish, Muslim and Hindu children in their classes. It seems to work out.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by earthroamer21

A couple of thoughts...

If you were moving to India, would you be shielding your children from exposure to Hinduism? Usually, when people move somewhere, it's by choice and they try to absorb the local culture. Christianity is part of the cultural fabric of the southern part of this country. Why not roll with it? Ultimately, you have far more influence over your kids than a school anyway.

My kids have been at Hampton Cove Christian Academy for 2 years and love it. We were not looking for a Christian school per se - just a safe, fun learning environment. My kids have had Jewish, Muslim and Hindu children in their classes. It seems to work out.

Now our six year old is at Hampton Cove Elementary kindergarten so my tax dollars are now at work for her.

Our two year old is at Willowbrook now. There are three kids in the class with two adults. Pretty good student to teach ratio there. It's also less expensvive than HCA (but it is an extra schlep over the hill). Also, there's something about the guy (he reminds me of Jim Jones) who runs HCA; I can't put my finger on it, he just seems like a phoney baloney. Miss Norene is really, really good there.

I have no problem with the culture of the south (if indeed Huntsville has southern culture - different thread), it just I just don't like all the brainwashing and the perpetuating of the supernatural that the religous schools provide.

"When one person suffers from a delusion it is called insanity. When many people suffer from a delusion it is called religion."

[friday13]

Originally Posted by Charles

I have no problem with the culture of the south (if indeed Huntsville has southern culture - different thread), it just I just don't like all the brainwashing and the perpetuating of the supernatural that the religous schools provide.

Hey, what's supernatural in that the reason we don't have dinosaurs today is that they did not fit thru the doors on Noah's Ark? (3yr old attending a christian school)

[Charles]

Originally Posted by friday13

they did not fit thru the doors on Noah's Ark? (3yr old attending a christian school)

Perfect example.