There are so many options for preschools just in the Wilmington, Delaware area. It can be overwhelming to narrow down the selections, so I wanted to share our personal experience with Concordia Preschool. We have been with Concordia for three years now, and have never once considered switching. Even throughout the uncertainty of the Covid-19 shutdowns, we felt cared for and included. I hope that this review will help you narrow down your options, and consider choosing Concordia as the preschool for your preschoolers.
Concordia Preschool Overview
Concordia Preschool is located on Silverside Road in Wilmington, Delaware. The school is part of the community outreach with Concordia Lutheran Church. If you are not a super religious family, like us, don’t let the association scare you away. As a school accredited by the Nursery and Kindergarten Association of Delaware, Concordia takes developmentally appropriate learning seriously. All staff members have been trained in Early Childhood Education (ECE), with additional learning taking place on a regular basis. Along with training, all staff are CPR certified, and have undergone background checks, TB testing, and medical screenings.
The preschool has half-day classes for children ages two to five. The two year old classes are two half days a week, while the three and four year olds can do three or five days. As an added option, Concordia offers Friday specials and “Lunch Bunch” for the three and four year old classes. These specials can change, but ones we have seen offered include Soccer, Karate, and Dance. Lunch Bunch adds an extra hour to the day, allowing the kids to eat a packed lunch and play with some new friends.
Since the school is outreach of the Lutheran Church, the classes attend a short chapel session once every two weeks. We are not Lutheran, but have found that what gets taught is not too much for our likes.
Ok, now that the specifics are out of the way, let’s get down to our experience.
Our Experience at Concordia Preschool
We started at Concordia with our oldest in the three day three year old class in 2019. From September through March of 2020, we were able to experience a typical school year here. Our son’s excitement to go to school each day to see his friends and teachers, was honestly enough for us. The care and dedication of the teachers and staff really put it over the top.
The learning at Concordia Preschool is play-based, which allows the children to be hands-on with the activities. The teachers had new activities planned out for the kids every day. The activities include art projects, exploration outside, music, physical education, and of course play on the fenced in playground.
Parent Involvement
Before the pandemic, the school hosted after hours activities for families, and while this has slowed a bit since, these seem to be on their way back! We have been able to attend school socials, class concerts, parades, art fairs, book fairs, and more. Because of the encouragement to be involved, I felt like I was able to actually be a part of their first years at school.
Along with the curricular learning and activities, parents attend parent/teacher conferences twice per year. These were (and still are) something I look forward to. As a person not professionally educated in ECE, I had no idea what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised to see a thorough activity-based evaluation, and to be able to see the progression of these activities from the beginning of the year to the end. The teachers at Concordia are so incredibly knowledgable and caring, that I truly feel comfortable sending my children to them. They greet the children at the door each day and help them get settled in to a routine to start the day.
Moving Forward
Even with the closures in 2020, the teachers were actively involved in helping the kids learn from home. Through the use of zoom, closed Facebook groups, and suggested activities, we were able to keep the learning moving while at home. I am truly so grateful for their dedication and suggestions during such an uncertain time!
When my son returned for his second year in 2021 (we kept him home the first half as an extra precaution), things looked a bit different. There were no family activities, but the love and care from the teachers did not change. With our oldest headed off to Kindergarten, we knew for sure that we would continue our journey with Concordia with our youngest. She is there now, and family activities are starting to come back, which we love! I look forward to getting their class pictures, and doing our favorite fundraiser featuring a piece of art that they made!
I truly don’t have any negative feedback about Concordia Preschool. It has been such an amazing experience for our kids, and we are so excited to send our youngest back for the four year old program in the fall!
Have you sent your littles to Concordia? Let me know your experience in the comments!
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