Great Beginnings Preschool focuses on the whole child. Our program promotes social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development of each child, while emphasizing the importance of play.
Our classes offer developmentally appropriate lessons that facilitate learning through playful activities, including art, literature, science, math, music, cooking, and both outdoor and indoor play. We’re located within First Presbyterian Church of Strasburg and offer regular chapel time with Pastor Bob.
Why choose Great Beginnings?
- Affordable, high-quality program
- Convenient location
- Centrally located between four school districts
- Small, secured, and safe physical setting within First Presbyterian Church of Strasburg
- Peanut-free facility
Program Structure/Goals
There is no one teaching method that is best for every child. We know the children in our care and adapt our program to fit their learning needs. We value our smaller, safe physical setting as a great place in which to help children learn to love school and to be excited and ready to make the transition to kindergarten.
Each class includes a teacher and an aide. Our teachers have received their education at various colleges and through hands on experiences. All staff members have the appropriate background clearances required by Pennsylvania and First Presbyterian Church of Strasburg. While we have a goal to coordinate one aide per class, at this time there may be different aides each day of the week.
Some of the preschool program goals include:
- Create a nurturing environment in the classroom, and provide an atmosphere of emotional security
- Instill values of love, compassion, and respect for others
- Provide opportunities for personal accomplishments
- Provide for social enrichment through interaction with other children and adults, field trips, and class visitors
- Develop fine and gross motor skills and coordination
- Introduce basic educational concepts through play, books, music, science, art, field trips, and physical education
- Work closely with parents through daily contact, newsletters, emails, Class DoJo, scheduled conferences, and by encouraging family members to participate in special events
What does a typical day look like?
- Free play and learning stations
- Circle Time
- Bathroom break and snack time
- Recess
- Art or large group activity
- Story time
For more information about our various classes, click here.
Are you expensive?
We offer a low tuition rate, so our services are affordable to everybody. We encourage participation in a group fundraiser to keep our tuition affordable. Families may pay an opt-out fee if they do not want to participate in the fundraising process. Additionally, some families commit to serving one day each week as a classroom aide in exchange for a tuition discount. This experience allows them to really understand the workings of the preschool and their children’s adaptation to this special environment. Our tuition rates are comparable or better than other area preschools.
How do you register? Are there requirements?
Click here for full information on registration. Please note, children in the 3’s and Pre-K program are required to be toilet-trained prior to the start of school. This means that they must be fully independent in all aspects of toileting, including undressing, cleaning, and re-dressing. They must be out of diapers and pull-ups.
Interested in learning more? We welcome scheduled visits or observations—families of enrolled students are also welcome to participate and observe.
If you have questions or would like to schedule a visit, click here.
Pay Tuition Download Handbook Contact UsClass Descriptions
Classes:
- 2 year old Class
- 3 year old Class
- Pre-K
Teachers:
- Miss Heather Reynolds
- Miss Brianna Davis
- Miss Madi Witt
- Miss Amy Black
- Miss Eileen Smith
- Miss Sarah McCauley
2 Year-Old Class
Great Beginnings Preschool offers two classes for children who have turned two by September 1. Children do NOT need to be toilet-trained for this early introduction to a pre-school setting. Each class, with a limit of eight students, takes place from 9am – 11:30am on Mondays and Wednesdays with Miss Brianna or Tuesdays and Thursdays with Miss Amy.
This is a very play-based group that focuses on social interactions and having fun with art.
3 Year-Old Class
Great Beginnings Preschool offers two separate classes for potty-trained children who have turned three by the first of September. Both classes meet on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, from 9am – 11:30am. There is a maximum of 12 students per class. Miss Megan and Miss Samantha are the teachers of the threes program for the 2023-2024 school year.
Program structure: The teachers often collaborate on activities and themes. The morning starts with 55 minutes of “choosing time,” where the children pick their preferred activities with choices of play-dough, dress-up, puzzles, trains, and a variety of educational manipulatives. Additional daily activities include circle time with many child-involved activities, art, recess (outdoor, weather permitting), snack, and story time. The classes visit Pastor Bob once per month, where we engage in the re-telling of Bible stories with child actors, sing rousing songs, and end in prayer.
Pre-K
Great Beginnings Preschool offers three separate pre-K classes, each meeting three days per week. The morning class meets Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings, from 9am – 11:30am. These morning classes are taught by Miss Heather or Miss Madi. There is no afternoon class for the 2024-25 school year, but we are hoping to offer it again for the 2025-26 school year.
The pre-K program is for potty-trained children who have turned four by September 1 of that school year, or older children who will enter kindergarten at age six. Many families of children with late spring or summer birthdays postpone kindergarten enrollment to give an additional year of preschool. We welcome these older children to our pre-K classes.
Additional Services Offered:
- Vision Screening provided by the Blind Association
- Scholastic Book Club
- School Pictures (Group and Individual)
- Lunch Bunch – for an additional small fee, children are invited to bring their lunch to enjoy with classmates. During the 2024-2025 school year, lunch bunch will be scheduled on Fridays.
- IU13 Early Intervention Program – This program serves children 3 to 5 years old who need specially-designed instruction. Our preschool staff works closely with IU13 teachers. Screenings, evaluations and services are free. If you think your child may need early intervention services, call the Referral Hotline at (717) 606-1601.
Teacher Bios
Miss Heather Reynolds
Administrative Director/Registrar and Pre-K Morning Class
Miss Heather grew up in Virginia Beach, which is where her extended family continues to reside. She moved to Strasburg from Richmond, Virginia in 2012 with her husband, Curt, and their then-infant son, Tate, due to Curt’s acquisition of a mechanical engineering position at the Peach Bottom Nuclear Plant.
Miss Heather has a background rich in education and child development. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from the University of Mary Washington, in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Miss Heather then achieved her Master of Social Work degree from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. For 12 years, Miss Heather worked as a school social worker in the areas of special education (specializing in autism team evaluations), community resources, and school attendance.
She began teaching at Great Beginnings Preschool in 2016, after her son, Tate, attended the 2 and 3-year-old classes with Miss Laurie, a long term former teacher at the school, and completed his first year of the pre-K program with Lynn Underhill, previous director and founder of Great Beginnings. Miss Heather was promoted to administrative director/registrar of the preschool program in 2022. Tate now attends secondary school in the Lampeter-Strasburg school district. Miss Heather grew up with cocker spaniels and currently has two as part of her immediate family. She spends her free time crafting, reading, playing games, and volunteering. What Heather enjoys most about working with children is watching them grow and discover new things, while being part of that learning process.
Email Miss Heather
Miss Amy
2 Year Old Class
Amy Black has been employed at First Presbyterian Church since 2017. She wears many hats – Nursery Director on Sundays, Nursery Time Coordinator during the school week, Toddler Gym Facilitator on Friday mornings, and now Great Beginnings Preschool Teacher! Miss Amy excitedly joined the preschool team as one of the teacher of two-year-olds in 2023 and officially has her first year under her belt. Amy is a mother of five children; the youngest two are enrolled in the Lampeter-Strasburg school district. Miss Amy is also a Mimi to two special boys and is expecting another grandchild! She loves seeing the curiosity and inquisitive nature of her young students!
Email Miss Amy
Miss Brianna Davis
2 Year-Old Class
Miss Brianna is originally from Clarion, PA, and moved to Strasburg in 2016 with her husband. They have 4 children – Brayden, Harper, Cole, and Aubrie. Brianna received her Bachelor’s degree from Clarion University majoring in Communications. For nine years, Brianna was a full-time stay-at-home mom. During those years, she spent her time volunteering at Lampeter Elementary School in her children’s classrooms, teaching Children’s Church at First Presbyterian Church, and aiding teachers at Great Beginnings for multiple classroom settings. Brianna has been with Great Beginnings in a teacher capacity since 2022. was hired as a teacher in our two year old program in 2022.
Brianna has always felt that her calling was to work with young children. She loves watching them grow socially and emotionally in every single class.
In her free time, Brianna loves traveling to Western PA with her family, and doing home improvements.
Email Miss Brianna
Miss Madi Witt
Pre-K Mornings
Miss Madi moved from Florida to Strasburg in July, 2020, with her large family. She began taking early childhood development courses and wanted to pursue this as a career. Therefore, Miss Madi spent two years being a teacher’s assistant at Great Beginnings, with experience across all three levels: 2 year olds, 3 year olds, and pre-K! She also works part-time in the L-S SACC program and also at local restaurants. Madi loves outdoor activities and animals. She just completed her first year as a lead pre-K teacher. Miss Madi is assisted by her mother, Miss Kris.
Email Miss MadiMiss Eileen Smith
Pre-K Mornings
Eileen Smith (pictured middle, in between her daughters, Sarah and Colleen) was the newest teacher to join the Great Beginning Preschool staff, until we hired her daughter, Sarah, to teach in our three-year-old program. “Miss Eileen” is our teacher for the afternoon Pre-K class, which is taking a break for the 2024-25 school year. Miss Eileen grew up outside Philadelphia and moved to Strasburg 28 years ago to raise her two daughters with her husband. She has been working with children for the past 40+ years wearing many hats, including: Day-Care Assistant Director, Recreational Programmer for children, Preschool Teacher, Therapeutic Staff Support {TSS}, Recreational Therapist Aide and School-Age Child Care Group Supervisor. Miss Eileen has enjoyed the many hats she has worn and hopes to continue her work at Great Beginnings!
Email Miss Eileen
Miss Sarah
3 Year Old Class
“Miss” Sarah lives in Strasburg with her husband and their beautiful French Bulldog named Diamond. She has recently joined the prep/catering team at Speckled Hen, where she works with her sister. Miss Sarah has worked with children for the past 13 years, including infants, toddlers, 3-year-olds and school-age. Working with children brings her such joy. She loves watching them grow, learn, and laugh.
Email Miss Sarah
Registration
Registration for the next school year starts in January when current preschool students and families attending First Presbyterian Church can begin the enrollment process. Enrollment for the public opens in February. All spots are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.
To start the application process, please complete our registration form (link below). Submitting this application does not guarantee enrollment.
Please note, 3, 4, and 5-year-olds should be potty-trained prior to the start of the school year. Two-year-olds, or older children entering the 2-year-old classroom, do not need to be potty-trained. Potty-trained means your child is out of diapers and pull-ups, knows when they need to use the toilet, and doesn’t need assistance with wiping or adjusting clothing; they consistently do these tasks independently in all environments.
There is a $50 non-refundable application fee per child. Our tuition is kept low thanks to a fundraising project—we request all students participate or pay an opt-out fee.
Tuition for the 2024-2025 school year will be:
- Pre-K – AM or PM $855 ($95/mo) AM taught by Miss Madi and Miss Heather; PM taught by Miss Eileen
- 3 Year Olds – $630 ($70/mo) – Tuesday/Thursday
- 2 Year-Olds
- Monday/Wednesday class – $630 ($70/mo) – Taught by Miss Brianna
- Tuesday/Thursday class – $630 ($70/mo) – Taught by Miss Amy
You can make payments monthly, from September through May. An online payment option is available. Checks are payable to First Presbyterian Church. Great Beginnings Preschool prefers tuition payments in check or cash, as the expenses of using credit cards comes out of our budget.
Download Our 2024-2025 Registration Form
View Our 2024-25 School Calendar
Pay Tuition Download Handbook Contact Us