Paradise Valley United Methodist Church Preschool - Paradise Valley, Arizona

Mimi Haber

An incredible school and community. My daughter started in the Mom’s Morning Out program (under 2) and started preschool officially this year. We had multiple families recommend sending our daughter here and for good reason. The curriculum is great and I see how much my daughter learns each day. The teachers and staff are so inviting and involved. We feel like we found our school community here. Couldn’t recommend the school more!

drjmaclean

My 2 children (now 4 & 6) started at PVUMC when they were toddlers (18 months) in the parent toddler class. I put them on the waiting list when they were born. We absolutely loves this school!! This is a truly special place with some of the most talented and dedicated teachers you will find. The director, Teacher Mindy, is amazing. First of all, the school is NAEYC accredited (one of the first and only in the state). The location is beautiful, quiet and safe. The facilities are well thought out with every little attention to detail including the sunshades (& hat rules!) on the playground, the different areas of the classroom (dramatic play, books, etc.) and so much more. They are extremely sensitive to any special medical needs your child may have such as a peanut allergy and take it very seriously with strict hand washing and snack rules. All of the families here have been so nice and welcoming. We have made some really great friends. They have lots of opportunities for parents to get involved throughout the year, depending on your individual availability, ranging anywhere from weekly or even daily as room mom or occasionally for holiday parties, etc. (great for working moms like me). They have great events throughout the year such as the Halloween costume parade, Christmas pageant, and an end of the year Ice Cream Social and Silent Auction that is over the top. They offer lots of great after school enrichment programs like Spanish, gymnastics, Jump Bunch, etc. I can not say enough good things about this school. It has been an absolutely magical experience for our family and I am incredibly grateful! My son will now be entering 1st grade. He thrived in kindergarten and PVUMC prepared him very well. I was also very happy to hear that the teachers "LOVE PVUMC students," because they turn out to be some of their best students. This came as no surprise, given what a wonderful preschool it is.

Megan Bert

We moved to Phoenix from out of state and feel so lucky to have found PVUMC Preschool. I toured a number of preschools and PVUMC stood out to me by far, just from the tour. I love the play-based learning approach the school takes. My children, 2yo and 4yo, have really thrived in this environment. My 4 year old daughter can spell her first and last name using upper and lower case letters, has her phone number memorized (including area code) and can recognize it. My son, upon entering his 2's class, was slow to speak and has blossomed under the encouragement of his teachers and is speaking in full sentences now. The teachers truly care about the kids - it is such a loving environment. I also love the community of parents at the school. Having just moved here, I found all the parents nice and welcoming. Really good families.

I started the process of looking at kindergartens this year and was so happy to hear from many of the schools I toured that they love having kids from PVUMC enter Kindergarten with them - they are so well prepared at PVUMC. Makes me feel so good about the choice I made.

Catherine Healy

Both of my children have thrived at PVUMC Preschool. The staff is highly-qualified, caring and fun! I have no doubt that going to preschool at PVUMC is the main reason my daughter had an easy and successful transition to kindergarten. My son has one more year here and I will be very sad to go!

Amanda Olson

Exactly what a little kid enjoys and needs. This preschool is a play based NAYEC accredited preschool. A national accredited preschool is very important and hard to find in AZ. The accreditation process is tedious and they have to follow so many very important guidelines day in day out to keep this accreditation and boy does it help with developing these little minds. This accreditation hasn't lapsed ever. The management, teachers and instruction are top notch. Parents are well informed on monthly, weekly, daily and hourly curriculum through the monthly class lesson plans, monthly thought provoking articles about child development as well as a monthly newsletter from the director, Mindy. You also get formal monthly class emails from your child's teacher as well. Most of the teachers and the admin have been there well over 20 years. They assess your child and have parent conferences 2 times a year. This is vital, with the literacy, language, cognitive puzzles and games, creative expression, circle time activities, as well as fine and gross motor activities the kids do daily, the teachers are able to see a pattern in your child's play and give you advise right away if an area needs more attention or may be a red flag. This preventative way of teaching and informing the parents daily weekly, or if you wait for your child's conference is so vital and can be an early intervention strategy. It helped me with my oldest son's needs greatly. It's a nurturing environment and runs very smoothly for parents and children. I have 4 boys and 3 of them have been students here, the oldest is on his way to Kindergarten now but the second, third and fourth children will be there again this year. I have nothing but amazing things to say about what this school does for learning through play. Also if you can stay for an entire day, you will be so in love with the entire staff. Chapel time with Pastor Dave and Teacher mindy and her church puppets is darling. The motor perception class (PE) With coach wings is very well thought out as well. The teachers and the friends, the art and the play. So special. These kids are growing socially and emotionally so much every day. The teachers are passionate and the families are grateful. That is a perfect combination for success for the school and the families. The play areas are so well kept. The inventory of learning toys is so amazing. My boys are so passionate about learning and enjoy school so much from this preschool alone. I'm soon grateful for this school.

A. C.

Let me start by saying I have high expectations, probably unfairly too high and most of the time I am disappointed. But not at PVUMC Preschool, I kept looking for something that wasn’t right, something that did not measure up, but not once was I let down. My high expectations were exceeded, this preschool is everything a preschool should be. I did not stumble upon this school, I did a ridiculous amount of research to make sure I picked the absolute best environment for my child and in retrospect I can happily say I chose wisely. My daughter started at PVUMC Preschool with the Parent Toddler program in the Fall of 2012 and she just completed her last year there in the Junior Kindergarten class this past Spring of 2016. To list all the amazing things that she was able to do and learn would take up way too much room here (I know I am already taking up too much room already). But suffice it to say, the teachers and curriculum are fantastic. They are accredited by the NAEYC (the longest running accredited preschool in Arizona BTW), they follow a rigorous program to keep that accreditation and it shows. The environment is nurturing and loving, the child is always put first. The teachers and staff are respectful of the child and their growth while being kindly firm when corrections are necessary. There is ongoing education for the teachers and the Director, Mindy Sobraske, has an unwavering commitment to the children and their education with the learning through play philosophy. The preparation for Kindergarten is phenomenal, my daughter is now attending Great Hearts Archway Veritas and is excelling. Not just academically, but she is very well socialized to be able to handle the interactions and challenges of being at a desk in a classroom with a bunch of other kiddos at 5 years old. I recommend PVUMC Preschool without hesitation.

Martha Rinne

Believer or non believer, you are welcome at PVUMC. Diversity and inclusion are the hallmarks of church culture at PV. Come as you are and enjoy magnificent music, make friends, attend a class, and be a part of "God's love in action."

Scott Swonger

Wonderful community of people! Caring, motivated, and active! If you are looking for a new community of faith, come check it out.