Welcome to Orchard Hill Church Preschool!

We’re glad you are here! Please look around our website and learn more about us. We are absolutely thrilled for the school year to start and we believe it is going to be an awesome one! We are excited to continue building relationships with our students and families and we can’t wait to meet our new students and families as well! Our staff is very passionate about showing the love of Jesus to precious little ones. If you have any questions, click on the “Contact” button! Thanks for visiting, God bless you!

Jennie Knapp
Orchard Hill Church Preschool Director

Our Mission:

Helping children grow in a nurturing environment that promotes a life-long relationship with Jesus.

Bible verse that drives what we do at OHCP: Luke 2:52 - “and Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and men.”

We strive to help children to learn and develop academically, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

At OHC Preschool, we value:

Hands-on Learning
Creativity
Spiritual Development
Social and Emotional Development
Diversity
Families
Parental Involvement
A Quality Early-Childhood Environment
Life-Long Learning
Developmentally Appropriate Activities for Children

Our program philosophies:

We believe all children deserve a quality Christian education.

We believe children learn the best through a variety of hands-on experiences and activities with opportunities to explore both indoors and outdoors.

We believe children need caring, respectful relationships with peers and adults.

We believe families are children’s first and best teachers.

We believe children learn best through both group activities and individual play.

History:

Over 15 years ago, Orchard Hill Church leadership began dreaming about a preschool. During those years, several members of the congregation visited with OHC's ministry leader (Dave Bartlett) concerning preschool possibilities; the timing didn’t seem right. OHC's Long-range Planning Team kept the possibility of a preschool on their agenda.

In 2005, Jamie Panning began visiting with OHC's ministry leader about starting a preschool. In 2006, a nursery-preschool wing was opened at OHC. That facility was designed with a possible preschool in mind. Architects and Children's Ministry staff worked together to create spaces that would be appropriate for 3, 4, and 5 - year-olds in a preschool setting. Jamie Panning became the "Volunteer Founding Director" of OHC Preschool. She began gathering information, working with DHS and Child Care Resource and Referral. She also met with the ministry leaders and children's ministry director. It was decided that the preschool would open in the summer of 2008 - this was God's timing.

A preschool planning team was formed which was comprised of women who were interested in early childhood education and/or had experience in preschool teaching and directing ( Jamie Panning, team leader, Ilene Boelman, Kathy Bohlman, Kari Bullerman, Jane Eilderts, Jess Hansen, Mary Janssen, April Peters, Julie Timm, Sheryl Weller, and Joan Trebon and Judy Walsten, Children's Ministry representatives) This team spent many months discussing the vision and mission of the preschool, researching, sharing ideas, meeting in small groups, and praying for the preschool to create a program to help children learn about Jesus and grow in their educational development.

During the winter of 2007/spring of 2008, a search team was formed to hire a director and teaching staff for the preschool. Lynn Doyle was hired as director on May 1, 2008. Three teachers were hired soon after and they worked together diligently to prepare for OHC Preschool to open in the fall. OHC Preschool opened Sept. 8, 2008 with two classes of 3 - 4 year-olds meeting Tues. and Thurs. and one class of 4 - 5 year-olds meeting on Mon., Wed., and Fri.

Jennie Knapp was hired in July 2009 as OHC Preschool Director. Year five for the preschool begins on August 27th, 2012!!

Tuition

Tuition rates for the 2012-2013 school year:

3-4 year olds: $95 per month
4-5 year olds (MWF): $115 per month
4-5 year olds (M - F): $170 per month

Orchard Hill Church Preschool is licensed by the state of Iowa.

Orchard Hill Church Preschool admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students.

Orchard Hill Church Preschool does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its policies.