Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Howard.
Emily, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I come from a long tradition of educators and I started my career in adult education. When my oldest child was in preschool and I wasn’t working I asked to be placed on his school’s substitute list. I haven’t looked back. What a gift to be with my children before they started elementary school. and to do what I love. It has been the best of both worlds. I find that at least once a day I say, “I love my job!” It doesn’t get any better.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I have such an enormous support system at SAND and at North Decatur UMC that when a challenge does arise I have so many people that I can go to for advice or for help. This community is always ready to step up and wherever the need is. So, issues that could be overwhelming, from finances to negotiating physical space to fitting into a larger church vision, never get that big.
Our biggest challenge has nothing to do with the day to day running of a business, it’s Time.
We believe that children have the right to be heard. Fully and respectfully. And we believe that it is our mission to create an environment where we actively listen to one another and respond to each other in a way that promotes conversation and learning. This takes a lot of time. A whole lot of time. It’s easy to answer a question. It is not always so easy to really listen to what a child is asking you and then to help them find their own answers. It takes love and humor and some crazy creativity to live into a child’s perspective which is a whole experience and not dictated by any sense of time and do this in a 4-hour day.
Please tell us about SAND Preschool.
Our motto at SAND Preschool is Come, Learn, Be Loved and Play! We are a Reggio Emilia Inspired preschool program in Decatur. We serve children from 1 through Pre-K. I think what makes us stand out from other preschools in our community is our core belief that EVERYONE deserves respect. You can feel it when you walk in the building. You can see it in our classrooms. You can hear it in every conversation. When people come and visit our school they often say that it just feels right here. And they are right.
The other thing that sets us apart is our commitment to outdoor education. We have a community garden designed with early childhood in mind. Our beds are small and hexagonal shaped so children have more room to move around and dig. We have a 40′ stream that meanders through our garden so children can play in the water. Our garden is grouped into perennials and herbs and edibles for a sensory feast. One of our guiding questions is, “If you can do it inside, how can you do it outside?”
I am by far most proud of our teachers at SAND. They are the best! I have such respect for the hard work and dedication that each teacher has. When I am in our classrooms I am overwhelmed by the love our teachers have for each child. I know that we are the best at what we do because they are the best.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I don’t think that I would change anything. When you start with a community that believes in the importance in early childhood education and that wants you to succeed it’s hard to go wrong. We started with the belief that preschool is a place to come to learn, be loved and play. This quickly became our motto and our guiding force. This applies to me, to our SAND board and our SAND staff. We are loved and supported. We are constantly learning and we have fun. Why would you ever change that!
Pricing:
- Tuition ranges from $225- $375 a month
- We offer SandBox, an extended enrichment hour from 12-1 for $7/day
Contact Info:
- Address: North Decatur United Methodist Church 1523 Church Street, Decatur, GA 30030
- Website: sandpreschool.org
- Phone: 404-373-3367
- Email: sand@ndumc.org
- Instagram: sand_preschool
- Facebook: SchoolatNorthDecatur
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