YMCA opens new preschool at Montessori
By Catharin Shepard
Published in News on November 12, 2008 1:46 PM
News-Argus/GREG SOUSA
Madison Denton, 2, enjoys some pudding during snack time at the YMCA Preschool in Goldsboro. The preschool recently moved into the Wayne Montessori building on Harding Road.
Goldsboro Family YMCA preschoolers are enjoying their new, larger classrooms at the Wayne County Montessori School after the Y purchased the building earlier this year.
The Montessori School is renting half the space and will continue to operate from the facility at 900 S. Harding Drive as part of the nearly $1 million deal, said Darren Goroski, senior progam director at the Y.
"The preschool parents love it because it's bigger, brighter," Goroski said.
Dawn Fratantuono, a director of the Montessori school, said the Y program is an excellent opportunity for parents who need someone to care for their preschoolers.
"They are a wonderful group. We're thrilled to have them," she said. Ms. Fratantuono said she does not yet know whether the school will renew the lease when it expires in 2013.
If the Montessori School does not renew the lease, the entire building will become a Y child care center, Goroski said.
Currently, 48 children are enrolled in the Y preschool, but the extra room at the Montessori School doubles the facility's capacity to about 100 students.
"We're excited about the growth to come," said Leann Marquis, director of the preschool program.
Cleo Trigones, a Foster Grandparent volunteer at the Y, said the children are happy in the more spacious location.
"I think it's awesome. They have facilities that are age-appropriate," she said.
The Y preschool is state-licensed and operates year-round from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the week. The program's eight full-time and six part-time teachers prepare children for kindergarten with age-specific, hands-on lessons in math, science, Bible studies and other subjects.
"We do a lot of character development," said Kriquette Davis, YMCA assistant executive director.
She said the preschool students moved into the Montessori building in August at the beginning of the 2008-09 school year.
The program costs $85 a week for Y members and $105 a week for non-members. Membership rates at the Goldsboro Y are $100 to $150 a month depending on the type of membership.
Once renovated, the old preschool space at the Y will house a computer lab, aerobics and cycling classes, a nursery and conference rooms.
The YMCA is a 501(c)3 charitable organization that operates on membership and program fees and donations. For more information, call 778-8557.