The Parent Smart Preschool & Toddler Program has been part of the Huntington Beach community for over 30 years. This unique hybrid preschool/parent education program has helped thousands of families learn and grow together.
“Miss Lisa is always there for all of us with a full heart of love and support. We feel it every day.” – Sarah
At the helm of the Parent Smart Preschool is beloved teacher Miss Lisa. First introduced to the program as a participant with her son, Miss Lisa has led the program for over 15 years. With infectious energy and passion, Miss Lisa creates an engaging class and supportive community for parents and kids alike.
Learning Through Play
“It’s good to see that my child was able to retain what he has been learning from our class and apply it.” - Sally
Every moment of class is full of fun, "disguised" learning, covering developmentally appropriate language, math, science and social skills. Miss Lisa reflected that “it's amazing what kids can do once they have a chance to be exposed to concepts in the form of play.”
“It has helped me learn how to encourage my son’s growth and development.” - Sarah
The program also focuses on emotional intelligence, providing curriculum in class and coaching parents to help their children express themselves and self-soothe. Each week, parents and children practice coping skills such as deep breathing, mindfulness activities and sharing feelings.
COVID-19: Taking Parent Smart Preschool Online
“Now that our new “normal” has thrown our world upside down, we have enjoyed having the virtual classroom. I have seen all the extra work that Miss Lisa has put into keeping this program running. We appreciate every minute.”- Sarah
Faced with school closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Parent Smart Preschool & Toddler Program had virtual classes up and running within a week. Miss Lisa explained, “Ideally, we'd be able to have Parent Smart Preschool in person, but we are growing where we have been planted! The interactive heart of our program is surviving and even thriving.”
She has found that parent participation is higher than ever as parents prepare activities with teacher's guidance to keep the kids excited and engaged. This interactivity extends beyond class time, with the whole family getting involved in STEM projects like making tents for “T week" and finding new Uses for household items during “U week."
Supporting Kids and Parents:
“With our lives changed overnight, having limited or no visits with friends and family is difficult to explain to 1 to 5-year-olds. We are so lucky to have you be able to connect us all online and have a program in place for us to do from our living rooms!” - M
Giving parents a sense of connection and normalcy in this tumultuous time is just as important as it is for our kids. Parents are overwhelmed as they try to work from home and care for multiple children of various ages and educational needs.
To support our parents, Miss Lisa has maintained a constant stream of communication by phone, email and posting resources in our Facebook group. Parents are also benefitting from new Parent Support and Social Group launched in April.
In class and in the support group, parents talk about what self-care they are engaging in. They discuss how important it is for kids to see their parents manage big feelings and engage in their own interests for the joy of it.
Looking Ahead
Whether in class or online, Parent Smart Preschool helps children reach kindergarten-readiness while experiencing the joy of learning through immersive interactive play. We also give parents tools to extend the lessons into everyday life to create mutually respectful, cooperative, safe, supportive, positive environments at home.
We’re not sure what the next several months will bring, but we’re proud of how Miss Lisa has taken this challenging time as an opportunity to adapt and grow. Going forward, HBAS is excited by the potential to use technology to expand the Parent Smart Preschool Program.
* Parent Smart Preschool is now enrolling for the Fall semester. Please contact Miss Lisa directly at [email protected] for preview information. Online registration is currently being updated and will be up and running soon. Learn more here.