However, officials at Chesterbrook and Primrose say parents are seeking more structure and a system that ensures children are building skills for school. Nobel Education Dynamics, Chesterbrook's parent company, has found that children with at least a year of their preschool enter kindergarten two years ahead of the average public school student from the same socioeconomic background, Cranor said. Look beyond labels As they do with any program, parents deciding whether to choose this setting need to get beyond labels and see what teachers are doing with children. One suggested activity is hiding a toy in a container, to help develop thinking skills and hand coordination. Older children use the Peabody curriculum, designed to help develop thinking, speech and pre-reading skills.
Teachers use a green space-alien hand puppet to talk children through stories.
A child held his fingers up, about an inch apart. Both also use inflatable alphabet characters, such as Ms. T, a T-shaped blue person with yellow hair and huge teeth. Primrose at 4. Snacks and play time still play a role at both schools, as they do at most child-care centers. Jane Meyer, head of the Mecklenburg County Child Care Association, said last week she didn't know anything about Primrose or Chesterbrook, but some activities sound similar to those at good child-care centers in the area.