I highly recommend Arcadia Episcopal Preschool (AEP). My 10 year old son attended AEP and when my daughter was ready for pre-school we did not hesitate to enroll her in AEP. They have a great foundation that they have been practicing for many years. What I like most about AEP is their focus on social-emotional development of the children and the age-appropriate curriculum. They focus on social goals such as following rules, routines, and manners. Kids learn to express themselves verbally, resolve conflict, turn-taking, sharing, and other important social skills and all in a very positive environment. Ms. Marie, the Director of AEP, loves her job. She runs the school and also helps the teachers with the kids on all levels throughout the day. The teachers are so loving and patient and they all know the name of every child in the school.

The school is clean and provides everything kids need to keep them physically active and interested in learning. Even though it’s a small school, it offers two big playgrounds with outdoor painting, climbing structures and even a bike path to ride the many tricycles the school has for the kids. Hot and healthy lunches are included in the tuition and the year-round program is great for working parents.

My daughter 4 1/2, is showing a lot of interest in her numbers and letters. She likes to write her name and the names of her friends in class. My son 10, was well-prepared for kindergarten and has been in the top of his class every year. My daughter will be starting T-K shortly and I am sure she will have a smooth transition due to the social skills she has learned at AEP.

I would highly recommend AEP to any parent who wants their child to thrive in a loving, positive, and stimulating school like AEP.

I love this preschool. Before I moved to the area, I visited many schools and AEP was the last one I saw. While many of the other schools tried to sell their programs with theory, academic preparation, or brand new facility, they still could not hide the business model behind the words. AEP was the last school I visited (in a 2-3 month period) and as soon as I stepped in the school, I knew it was the place I wanted my children to be. The school is clean and one of the first things that impressed me is that even though it’s a small and intimate school, it offers two big playgrounds, one with a bike path. One priority I have is that my children would spend enough time outdoors. I decided to enroll my children in AEP right after my visit. Now, it’s been almost a year that my daughter has been there, and I just couldn’t be happier. My daughter is happy to go to school to a group of veteran teachers who run the school with their hearts. The teachers are so loving and patient, and they all know the name of every child in the school. Even though my daughter is in the 2-3 y.o. (Starfish) class, she has plenty of time to interact with bigger and smaller kids when they are in the playground. In addition to this,children spend a lot of time learning by singing and doing art projects, which I think is so essential at this age. Specifically in my daughter’s class, Ms. Frannie is wonderful at teaching children to express verbally and develop appropriate social skills. My daughter has become so much more independent as a result of this. Sometimes children can be picky eaters, but Ms. Frannie will always encourage them to try new food. My daughter loves Ms. Frannie, and as a parent, I truly appreciate what she and all the other teachers do. My son will turn 2 soon and I know I'll be sending him there too. AEP’s Turtle class for the youngest ones allows children who haven’t been potty trained yet. The director Ms. Marie has a lot of charisma and is always trying to think of new programs for the school. She also cares about providing healthy foods for the children. On special occasions, the school organizes special events such as Mommy and Me/Daddy and Me Night/Thanksgiving/Christmas activities, which parents are always invited to attend. Finally, they also have a garden which parents and children can help plant and take care. My daughter and I planted kale, and we often water it together when we are at school. What else could a parents ask for? 🙂 My daughter has learned so much in the past year. I would highly recommend any parent who wants their child to thrive in a loving, positive, and stimulating school to check out AEP. I know you will not be disappointed!!!! I decided to enroll my children in AEP right after my visit. Now, it’s been almost a year that my daughter has been there, and I just couldn’t be happier. My daughter is happy to go to school to a group of veteran teachers who run the school with their hearts. The teachers are so loving and patient, and they all know the name of every child in the school. Even though my daughter is in the 2-3 y.o. (Starfish) class, she has plenty of time to interact with bigger and smaller kids when they are in the playground. In addition to this,children spend a lot of time learning by singing and doing art projects, which I think is so essential at this age. Specifically in my daughter’s class, Ms. Frannie is wonderful at teaching children to express verbally and develop appropriate social skills. My daughter has become so much more independent as a result of this. Sometimes children can be picky eaters, but Ms. Frannie will always encourage them to try new food. My daughter loves Ms. Frannie, and as a parent, I truly appreciate what she and all the other teachers do.

AEP has wonderful, *loving* teachers whom you can trust to care for and teach your children. I have had two children attend AEP all the way from 2 yrs old to the summer before kindergarten. My third child is currently attending AEP in the Butterfly class (2-2.5 yr olds). Because of the small size of the school (less than 50 students total), it has a nice, small, close-knit community feeling. Every teacher knows every child and parent by name. In the Dolphin class (pre-kindergarten, 4-5 yr olds), they work on pre-reading skills (alphabet), writing (only if the particular child shows interest), counting skills, days of the week, months of the year, basic science and art, etc. During the regular school year, each week is dedicated to a particular letter — so the kids learn the alphabet, but it’s integrated into the theme for the entire week. During the summer, every day has a special theme and the children participate in the theme school-wide (from all of the different age groups), with special days like a visit from the reptile/bug lady, puppy petting day, bouncer day, petting zoo day, and more. But the most important thing that both of my older children took away from AEP was good socialization and a basic sense of right-and-wrong (golden rule style). Both were well-prepared for kindergarten, receiving behavior and effort awards from their kindergarten teachers. This is in large part because the teachers at AEP don't stress learning particular facts or academic material, but instead foster an innate love of learning in the children and teach the children the skills and behavior that will permit them to continue to learn in other environments well beyond the preschool.

My son had a wonderful experience at AEP. If you are looking for a safe, loving and nurturing environment, this is definitely the optimal place for your child. All the teachers and staff are very caring and patient. Thanks to the school, my son learned how to verbalize his needs and interact positively with his peers.

Highly recommend! Both my children started when they were 2 yrs old. All teachers and staffs are passionate of what they do, they love children. They look after all students well. Things that I really like the most is this facility is clean. Such as kids bathroom, classroom, toys (I saw teacher takes out toys to clean/sanitize regularly). They keep the nap blanket and pillow in each individual zip lock bag each time kids are done using it. (I saw some other school just left in the cubby, some are just felt on the floor and no one pick it up. I saw that at the serendipity preschool). Teachers always take student to potty, never leave any of them alone. They would alway help kids eat lunch (hot lunch provided), encourage them to try new food. My kids love all the event that school have, the christmas even is my favorite one. Love this school and all staff at AEP.

My daughter has been at AEP for almost a year. This has been a wonderful experience for my daughter. She has learned so many things. The teachers really focus on having the children learn how to express themselves, resolve conflict as well as socialization. The teachers and staff are all very caring, nurturing and loving. I'm so glad I found AEP. My only regret is that I didn't know about AEP for my older children.

This is an excellent school. Both of my kids attended AEP for 3+ years. Kids need to be kids, and I selected this school because they teach age-appropriate materials. I really object (mostly Asian) parents trying to start academic studies at such young age. It’s very important for kids to learn socio-emotional skills, verbal AND nonverbal, at early childhood. This is the time when a child’s self-recognition and self-esteem is built up through play and peer interaction, and the teachers here are excellent in guiding and allowing the kids to form a healthy self-image and understanding of how the world around them work through loving, caring, and professional guidance. The staff are very professional, and they also undergo continue education training every year.

All staff at AEP are loving and caring! You won't feel that they are treating preschool as a “business” but rather they really care for the well-being of each kid. AEP helped my child to get potty-trained in less than 1 week. And she learned good manners from school. The summer program is extremely fun! They offer different theme each day (e.g. pet the zoo, PJ, costume etc) for consecutive 3 months! Although Asian parents may find this school not stressing enough on academics, I still think this is a great school to start with.

School is open from 7am (though most arrive later) till 6pm. Friendly staff, great experience for my boy, been there two years, he likes it. Liked: Atmosphere, Great school, plenty of structure, and help with potty training