Ebenezer Christian Preschool
Preschool Director: Mari Manders
Preschool Assistant: Maggie Hamilton
About our Preschool
Preschool is the wonderful beginning of your child’s school experience. We believe that each child has been uniquely and wonderfully made by our Creator God. They are loved beyond measure by our Heavenly Father. Therefore, keeping each Preschooler’s individuality and personality in mind, we focus on their individual interests and needs. We provide a safe and nurturing environment where they can play, learn, grow and develop to their full potential. Children learn through active play and exploration, personal interaction with the world around them, and through small and large group activities. In our classroom they are introduced to a daily schedule and routine as well as social rules that will help them to be successful in school and life. We offer a curriculum rich in HANDS-ON experiences focused on objectives such as, Spiritual, Social-emotional, Physical, Language, Cognitive, Literacy, Math, Science, Music and Art development.
Preschool schedule
We accept children from 2.9 to 5 years of age. They have to be potty-trained. Our Preschool is open five days, but we understand that each family has their own individual needs. Therefore, we offer 3, 4, and 5-day options to choose from. We also offer half day (8:00-11:45) or full day (8:00-2:45) options. We follow the school calendar therefore we are closed during all major holidays.
Life of an Ebenezer Preschooler
Our Preschoolers learn our Daily Routine very quickly. After arriving in the morning, they have to sign-in all by themselves, teaching them the important skill of being able to recognize and write their own name. Then they are able to choose from a rich selection of table activities to start their learning for the day. On some days we go to the gym, to work on developing important Gross motor skills like traveling skills, balancing skills and working with balls. Each day our preschoolers get to choose their own job for the day, giving them a sense of responsibility to contribute to our classroom.
We start our morning meeting by doing stretches, saying the Pledge of Allegiance and reading a very needed Devotion that teaches us what God expects from us in our daily life as a child of God. Afterwards, we do a prayer together. Our circle time routine focuses on the date, day, letter, number, color and shape of the week. We also have a social-emotional lesson that teaches our preschoolers how to be successful in life. We usually have a weekly/monthly theme that we base most of our activities, book readings, songs and rhymes on.
We know children learn through play therefore they have the chance to choose a center that they would like to play in during choice time. Choices include Music & Movement, Dramatic Play, Puzzles and games, Math activities, Science, Blocks, Sand and water table, Sensory table, Writing center, Art and Library area. After free play, we usually do a small group activity, where we focus on developing a specific skill. Afterwards we get creative by doing an art or craft activity.
Our Preschoolers also love playing outside by playing in the sandbox, in the playhouse or going down the slide. They also enjoy riding the trikes or small cars. During wintertime they love building snowmen, making snow angels and being pulled around on the sleds.
After a busy morning filled with fun learning, we have time for lunch and much needed rest. We provide books and quiet toys for non-sleepers.
Parents need to pack a morning snack, lunch and mid-afternoon snack (if their child stays for a full day).
It is important to us to help strengthen our families and to get to know our families. Therefore, we usually have 3 classroom events focused on Thanksgiving, Christmas and Mother’s day where we invite our families to spend some time with us. In this way, families are able to visit with each other and the children are able to share what they have been learning and what they have been working on.
We would love to have you be a part of our Ebenezer family. We can’t wait to meet you and share our classroom with you. Please reach out if you have any questions.
More about Ms. Mari
Being an ordained minister for 17 years, my passion is teaching children about God. It’s wonderful to be able to share my faith with all our little friends at Ebenezer Preschool and help build their faith in God. Me and my family moved from South Africa in 2022 and has been in the Ellsworth area for a bit over 2 years. My husband, Cobus is a Minister as well. We have 2 precious daughters. Our family loves playing music and dancing together, doing horseback riding and just enjoying God’s creation. We are also animal lovers and have 2 dogs, 1 cat, 2 bunnies and 2 parakeets. I have been a preschool teacher for 1 year and a Music Teacher at an Elementary school for 4 years in South Africa. I was really blessed by God to have been appointed as the Preschool Director at Ebenezer during the 2023/2024 school year. I just love the Preschool age, seeing the world through our preschoolers’ eyes and experiencing the excitement when they master a new skill. God has truly blessed me through this Process.
More about Miss Maggie
My love for school and teaching began at a young age when I would rush home from elementary school to teach my dolls everything I learned that day. On Sunday mornings after church, I would line them up on the couch for Sunday School, and together we enjoyed Communion, aka vanilla wafers. Looking back, I know that the reason I loved school so much was not because of the content, but because I had loving teachers who inspired me so much that I spent my play time pretending to be a teacher, too. Throughout college, I explored many different career paths, but the one thing that remained constant was my desire to work with children. After taking a seminar in Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, I discovered my passion for child development and ultimately majored in psychology. After graduating and deciding to take a break before graduate school, the Lord led me home and blessed me with the Assistant Teacher position at Ebenezer Christian Preschool. My love for little ones, my background in psychology, and my faith in Jesus help me to encourage and support the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional growth of our preschoolers. Most importantly, we have the best time playing and laughing together!
Look at all the fun we have at our school!!
Frequently Asked Questions
May my child take advantage of riding the Ellsworth bus?
To see if your child lives in an area where bus pick up or drop off is available, you must call the Ellsworth school district. This is entirely a parent’s responsibility. It is also the parent’s responsibility to notify the school if their child doesn’t need to be picked up or dropped off on any particular day.
Is your attendance schedule flexible?
Yes, you can choose to send your child to school 3 or 5 days per week, and either full-days (8a-2:45p) or half-days (8a-11:30a). We ask that you maintain the chosen attendance schedule once enrolled, however, if family situation changes and you need to increased attendance, please speak with us.
How do I enroll my child?
Complete the below form (use Adobe Acrobat to complete digitally) and email to admin@ebenezerchristian.org. If filling out the form by hand, you can drop it off at the school office or send it in by mail to:
Ebenezer Christian School ATTN: Admissions PO Box 158 Ellsworth, MI 49729
How does tuition work?
We will invoice you at the beginning of the school year for the full tuition, broken down into 10 payments (Sep – June). You can pay by cash or check to the school office, or online by clicking here.
Can I sit in on my child’s class?
Yes, we encourage parental involvement in our students’ educational journey. However, due to licensing restrictions, there may be additional paperwork required. Please contact the Preschool Director for specifics.
Is there a discount for multiple children?
Yes! See our tuition details for specific pricing.
Have additional questions?
We’re here to help. Let’s talk.