The preschool schedule is described in detail in the Info section below.
The following information is also available at bcsd.org/preschool. If you have not already learned about our program there, please be sure to read this entire program description before you proceed with your application.
The work of preschoolers is PLAY! The Brighton Preschool/Parent Program has been an educational resource in our community for over 60 years. It allows children to share and learn in a safe and nurturing environment where children are valued and accepted as unique. Our curriculum provides creative opportunities for all children to encourage social development and independence building. Planned activities and teacher interaction foster early education skill-building. Through play, our students discover what they enjoy most and what makes them feel competent. Our preschool is a place where children learn what it means to be a good friend. We provide diverse opportunities for experimentation, which challenge thinking and reasoning abilities. Our facilities are perfect for large and small motor development - inside the classroom and outside on the playground. One of the most significant features of our preschool is the amount of parental involvement. On a rotating basis, a parent (or another family member/nanny) serves as a volunteer helper in the classroom. Each family is responsible for volunteering six times a year. This commitment to being a part of the classroom provides families with a strong foundation for creating home-to-school connections. After volunteering, parents often say they haven't had that much fun in a long time. Adults need time to play as much as children do! Parents also report discovering many new things about their children in the classroom.
Children meet in a large, bright classroom well-equipped with interest areas that stimulate a child’s natural curiosity. Adjacent is another large classroom equipped for large muscle playtime. Outside is a playground specially designed for preschool-aged children. The preschool is located on the first floor of the Brighton Central School District's Central Administration Building, 2035 Monroe Avenue, Rochester, NY 14618. The program follows the Brighton Central School District calendar and is closed when the District is closed for holidays, recess periods, and emergency school closings. If you want to know how many days the school is closed in a typical year, click here to review the District calendar. Transportation is not provided. Children do not have to be fully toilet trained to attend. Each child reaches toilet training milestones at their own pace. The teachers will encourage children to become independent in the preschool bathroom. There are many months between applying to preschool and attending preschool. If you feel your child will be ready to manage underwear or a pullup with help from an adult, please apply. We do not have diaper-changing facilities, hence the requirement of pullups or underwear.
The upcoming preschool year begins on Monday, September 18, 2023, and ends on Thursday, May 30, 2024. It is open to children who will be three or four years old by December 1, 2023. Each preschool class includes both ages. Having more than one age group in a class means siblings can be placed together. Thirty-two students are enrolled each year - sixteen in a class that meets from 9:00 - 11:30 a.m. and a different group of sixteen in a class that meets from 12:30 - 3:00 p.m. A family requests their child be placed in preschool either two, three, or four days a week. The class that meets from 9:00 - 11:30 a.m. meets on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The class that meets from 12:30 - 3:00 p.m. meets on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. No classes meet on Thursday afternoons or Fridays.
Tuition is calculated based on the number of days a child attends weekly. The 2023-2024 school year fees are not calculated and published until all available placements in the class are complete (usually in March). You can review the 2022-2023 tuition rates at bcsd.org/preschool. The rates will not increase more than 3% over the 2022-2023 tuition rates. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis beginning January 6, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. They are processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Applying online at https://brightonschools.revtrak.net is preferred; paper forms you can submit with a check or money order are available upon request. Currently enrolled students who apply by February 1, 2023, have an initial choice of attendance days. Prospective students who are siblings of current or previous Brighton Preschool students and apply by February 1, 2023, will be enrolled in spaces available after current families have reenrolled. Then, new students will be enrolled in the remaining spots. All families will be notified of their placement by mid-February. If placement is not available, students are moved to a waitlist. Waitlisted families are contacted if a spot for their child to enroll becomes available sometime before July 1, 2023. There is a non-refundable application fee of $100. However, if your child is placed on the waitlist, the fee is refunded (and will be recharged if they are eventually enrolled).
Children meet in a large, bright classroom well-equipped with interest areas that stimulate a child’s natural curiosity. Adjacent is another large classroom equipped for large muscle playtime. Outside is a playground especially designed for preschool-aged children. The preschool is located on the first floor of the Brighton Central School District's Central Administration Building, 2035 Monroe Avenue, Rochester, NY 14618.
For answers to your questions, contact the Community Education and Preschool Program office, which is open from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Monday - Friday and at other times by appointment. The office may not be open when Brighton Central School District is closed for holidays or break periods. The preschool director can be reached at 585-242-5200, ext. 5595, or mona_zamiarski@bcsd.org. The number of phone calls and email messages received during the annual application period is significant. There is a chance that your voicemail or email message will not be replied to on the same day. If you call and the director does not answer, please leave a message and include your name, your child's name, phone number, and email address. Please note that if you call the Administration Building's phone number and press "0" to reach the reception desk, the receptionist will take your name and phone number and ask the director to contact you. The receptionist is not trained to answer questions specific to a child's placement. Thank you in advance for being patient while you wait to hear about your child's placement! To tour the classroom before registering, please secure a time slot by contacting the director. Tours are available at 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. on a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday.