When the Elite Children's Academy opened in 1997, it was Plainfield's first day-care center. Today, it offers pre-school, kindergarten, first through third grade and before- and after-school care. Emphasis is placed on personal contact with parents, said owner/director Alice McNulty. The two-acre facility is large enough for all students to play outside together.
This pre-school and kindergarten employs the Montessori method of teaching, which focuses on the whole child and emphasizes creative writing, free exchange of ideas, small group and independent work and progression by ability -- not age. The owners also have a second Montessori school in Frankfort.
St. Mary Immaculate Parish School, which was destroyed by a tornado in 1990 and suffered the loss of its principal and two staff members, has not only rebounded from the tragedy but thrived, Principal John Garvey says. Among the school's unique qualities, beyond the topnotch education offered, is a large student band, an accomplished theater program and an on-site prayer room, he says.
This preschool is affiliated with the Missouri Synod branch of the Lutheran church, but its classes do not teach to any one specific religion. Instead, its mission is aligned with that of its sponsor, Peace Lutheran Church: to impart a message of inclusiveness and acceptance of all people. The school has 72 students but can accept up to 86.
The Apple Tree Preschool is affiliated with the Plainfield Congregational United Church of Christ, but its classes do not teach any one specific religion. Instead, its mission is aligned with that of the church, which is to include and accept all people regardless of their race, religious affliliations, ethnicity or sexual orientation.
The Bonnie McBeth Learning Center offers an integrated preschool program in which 10 regular education students interact with up to six special needs children in each class. There are also classes devoted to children with unique needs. The center's faculty includes speech and occupational therapists, vision and hearing teachers, a social worker and a nurse.
