Help prepare children for elementary school with Folsom Parks and Recreation’s two topnotch preschool programs.

The Fun Factory Preschool program, with separate sessions for ages 3-4, has classrooms at the Folsom Community Center and at the Folsom Sports Complex. The curriculum is structured so that children may enter the program at age three and continue the following year, or attend a single year.  (Children may join the program throughout the school year, too, if space allows.) The program follows the FCUSD calendar, but does not observe the district’s teacher in-service days.  

Fun Factory introduces students to the basics, including colors, numbers, letters and handwriting. Activities are designed to help children develop motor skills and learn appropriate behaviors. Typical daily activities include small-group stations, arts and crafts, carpet time for songs and stories, outdoor exercise, and a snack break. Theme days are held throughout the year, as well as occasional off-site field trips. To learn more about the program, visit the classrooms from 4-6 p.m. during the February 18 open house; registration is on February 26.

Kindergarten Readiness, for ages 4-5, helps prepare kids for grade school with social and academic skill building. Classes begin in September and continue through May; the program expands to a four-day-per-week schedule for the 2014/15 year. Kindergarten Readiness focuses on pre-reading skills, including alphabet sequence and phonics, plus verbalization of facts and concepts. The unique classroom at the Hinkle Creek Nature Center provides opportunities for the class to venture outdoors for trail walks and lessons. Ms. Aileen, the instructor, has been a teacher with Folsom Parks and Recreation for 13 years, starting with the Fun Factory program. Register now for Kindergarten Readiness at folsom.ca.us or call program director Sarah Trobee at 916-355-8355 for more information.

For more information about Folsom Parks and Recreation, visit folsom.ca.us/depts/parks_n_recreation.