If you have children approaching preschool age or you are just looking to map the location of all the tiniest chairs in Concord, the MOMS Club of Concord has you covered Jan. 11 with a preschool fair at Wesley United Methodist Church.
It turns out Concord is the preschool hub of the universe, or it’s at least in the discussion. There are more than 20 preschools in the city, with a total of 22 receiving invites to the fair. As of press time, 12 schools had committed to attending.
The fair is free and will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the church, which is at 79 Clinton St.
“We’re setting up tables where we’re going to have representatives from each school there to describe their programs and what they offer and answer questions for families,” said Kristen Johnson, MOMS club member and organizers of the fair. “It’s kind of a one-stop shop event for families to get a feel for what’s out there for preschools in Concord and maybe narrow down their search to which ones they want to visit.”
Since questions from potential preschool students would likely focus on things like how much candy there is, what kind of candy there is, and if there is candy – important issues all – here’s a piece of good news for families: the fair will include free child care, so parents can leave the little ones to play and have their more critical, candy-free questions answered.
There were whispers that similar events had taken place in the past, Johnson said, but there hasn’t been a gathering quite like this in awhile. The fair was conceived when a bunch of mothers in the club admitted it was difficult to sort through all the options when they were new in town and already dealing with getting acquainted with the city itself.
“Several of the moms and I that had moved into the area a couple of years ago when our children were preschool age felt it was a little overwhelming,” Johnson said. “We came in not knowing the area, not knowing what’s available and trying to sort out where we would send our own children to preschool. A lot of us went to the web, but funny enough it’s not all that easy to find there. We started talking about this about a year ago now, and we thought it might be a nice idea to put something like this together for families in the community, so they have this as a resource.”
The schools at the fair will have an opportunity to explain their approaches and philosophies, which can differ greatly from one institution to another, Johnson said. Among the schools is a co-op preschool where parents participate in the program, and a Montessori program.
“That’s why we wanted to invite as many of the preschools as we could, because there are a wide range of approaches that are represented by the preschools in Concord,” Johnson said. “Different students have different learning styles, even at 3 or 4 or 5 years old, and different parents want different things for their children in terms of schooling.”
It’s not just schools that will be represented, either. The Audubon Society is scheduled to participate, Johnson said, as is Concord Dance Academy. Community Bridges, a group that assists transitions for special needs inpiduals of all ages, will also take part.
There are several other potential participants who hadn’t finalized appearances at press time, Johnson said. For an updated list of attendees and for other information, visit concordmoms.com.
The fair will also feature a free door prize (don’t worry if you don’t drive a truck, you don’t win an actual door), as well as a raffle to benefit CHaD, the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, and local items that include tickets to things like Storyland, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats and Manchester Monarchs.
“The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive,” Johnson said. “We’re hopeful that members of the community are going to come out and come visit the event and the schools.”
