Everyday Discoveries Preschool

I love preschool.  I'm thankful everyday that the public schools were full and the wait list was too long for me to even consider fighting with.  It caused me to work to find an alternate program for our son, Gavin, and out of that frustration we found Mrs. Dawnna Benoit.  She is a God send.  Mrs. Benoit decided to open a program in her home and it has been a complete blessing to our family.  Anyone that knows our sweet Gavin knows that he is a busy boy with a lot to say.  There are many words that can be used to describe him, but yet his teacher always finds a way to make it positive.  She calls him "spirited"… she says he's a great "negotiator"… she tells me often he reminds her of one of her three boys.  I know she loves her boys and so when I hear he reminds her of one of them I know there is a connection and she loves my boy too.   It's always a scary moment when you reach the point in parenthood that it's time to send them "off" into the world.  To send them out to be a living, breathing, active part of the community.  Mrs. Benoit has made the transition effortless.  She loves what she does.  So much that she spends her evenings in grad school learning to be even better at her job.  She values a Montessori learning environment which Gavin has really drawn to.  She knows ASL (American Sign Language) and is teaching Gavin new signs every day so he can come home and teach Stella how to better communicate with us.  I stand in awe everyday when I go in to take Gavin.  There are new activities in their centers daily and they are so inviting that I have to pry Stella out everyday.  The kids get a home cooked meal for lunch.  They sit at a table together to eat and discuss food groups, why things are healthy, why sometimes things should be eaten in moderation because of the sodium level, etc.  What preschool does these things???  I.LOVE.IT.  I'm going to be heartbroken when the school year is over, but hope we'll be able to send Stella once she turns three.  There is no doubt in my mind Gavin will be able and ready for kindergarten next year.  Only 6 days into school he could say the pledge of allegiance, by the third week he could write his first name.  He's recognizing letters and their sounds, he tells me rhyming words, he is learning to make preferences, use nice touches, walking feet, inside voices, and what "danger" means.  He's learning that he is a part of a community and with that brings responsibility.   I could go on and on and probably will many times in this blog.  I'm just so thankful.  One more thing.  She's an Army wife.  With a deployed husband.  She knows what service and sacrifice and separation and loving someone so far is all about.  When it's our time to send daddy off, I know that she will understand our bad days and always be there with an extra hug and positive words for Gavin.