Fun Factory Preschool: Ages 3-4

This popular program has served Folsom families for more than 20 years, with classrooms at the Folsom Community Center and at the Folsom Sports Complex. Children may enter the program at age three and continue the following year, or attend a single year. Classes for four-year-olds are held Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and for three-year-olds on Tuesdays and Thursdays; the program follows the FCUSD instructional calendar (but doesn’t observe the staff development days). Fun Factory teacher Ms. Kay describes the program as “a good balance of developmentally appropriate curriculum in a play-based setting.” Typical daily activities include small-group stations, arts and crafts, carpet time for songs and stories, outdoor exercise, and a snack break; theme days, holiday celebrations and occasional off-site field trips take place throughout the year.  

Kindergarten Readiness: Ages 4-5

The Hinkle Creek Nature Center provides a unique setting for this program with a curriculum focused on preparing students for grade school with social and academic skills.  Kindergarten Readiness teacher Ms. Aileen says her joy as a teacher “is to know I’ve done my best to prepare students to be kind, make good decisions, and be a good friend and role model.” Classes take place Mondays through Thursdays each week starting in September and continuing through May. Kindergarten Readiness focuses on pre-reading skills including alphabet sequence and phonics, plus verbalization of facts and concepts. 

Preschool Sports and Activities

Folsom Parks and Recreation offers a variety of programs that are designed to introduce little ones ages two and older to fundamental activity skills while also encouraging parent participation. Classes include Spanish immersion, ballet, dance and creative movement, soccer, taekwondo, tennis and basketball. The Folsom Zoo Sanctuary offers a story time gathering, featuring special zoo puppets and an introduction to a live zoo animal, at 10:30 a.m. on the fourth Thursday of every month. The Folsom Sports Complex offers Little Friends Open Gym, a drop-in preschool playtime, from 10 a.m. to noon on Mondays.

 — Lesley Miller // Photo © Tomsickova/fotolia.com.

To learn more about the Fun Factory and Kindergarten Readiness programs, visit the classrooms between 4-6 p.m. at the March 2 Open House. Registration for the 2016 school year takes place from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on March 9 at the Folsom Sports Complex. For more information, contact Sarah Trobee at 916-355-8355 or [email protected]. To register for preschool sports and activities, visit webtrac.folsom.ca.us.