Our infant program is unique. We only enroll 4 infants at a time.The children have the same primary caregiver for all operating hours. and a consistent floater teacher for the lead teacher’s breaks and lunches. We value the importance of your infant having the care of someone who has formed a special bond with your child and knows their unique needs. We follow all cues from parents on sleeping and feeding routines. Teachers regularly communicate with parents and truly partner with them in helping these young learners through the many stages of growth and change.

We know that children do best when their day is predictable, and we make this a primary focus in this classroom. Children spend their time actively playing and engaging with their caregivers. Our teachers physically get down on the floor and interact with the children. They sing songs, do finger plays, read stories, and most importantly they smile and laugh with the children. We incorporate sign language lessons into mealtimes to help with early literacy and communication skills. We enroll up to eight full time children in the Bear Program following a ratio of one adult to four children.

Our Crocodile Program is for our oldest toddlers. In this class children begin to show more independence. They sit at tables rather than high chairs, have sinks at their own height for hand washing, and transition to one nap on a cot. This age loves hands on, fine motor tasks, and we keep that in mind as we curriculum plan. Children read stories, do finger plays, flannel board stories and play outdoors and in "Big Room", our indoor playroom. We believe self directed play provides the best learning opportunities, and the classroom environment fosters such experiences. We enroll up to eight full time children in the Crocodile Program following a ratio of one adult to four children.

Our Turtle Program is play based, with teachers working one-on-one with children to reach goals of independence, self regulation, and academic skills. Our state of the art classroom was newly remodeled to include two toddler height trainer toilets and sinks. Our staff partners with parents through the potty-training process. This class is limited to ten full time children. Even though the State requires a minimum of one caregiver to seven children, we prefer to follow a one caregiver to five children. This ratio to provides more one on one care for your developing child .

A transitional preschool where children have have daily circle time where they learn shapes, colors, numbers, and letters. We believe children need time to play and interact with their peers. Our staff facilitates these peer relationships by actively involving them in play. We recognize that every moment is a teaching moment. Children in this program have many opportunities for hands-on learning through sensory play, art, and building. Our state of the art two-year-old classroom was newly remodeled to include two toddler height trainer toilets and sinks. Our staff partners with parents through the potty-training process.  We enroll ten full time children in the Hippo Program. Even though the State requires a minimum of one caregiver to seven children, we prefer to follow a one to five ratio to provide more one on one care for your developing child.

Our Lion Program is unique in our community and ensures your child is receiving the best care and education throughout the entire day.  Children attend a morning preschool class with other children their age and join our 4-year-old friends in the afternoon with our licensed teachers.

 Children at this age love to play pretend and make believe. Our classroom is set up with this in mind. Children enjoy traveling to different centers – from playing house to building construction sites, to making music and creating art – children stay engaged and busy all day long. A favorite for our three-year-olds is visiting the sanctuary for chapel time. At this age children work on a series of early preschool skills and teachers regularly communicate with parents on their child’s progress. We enroll ten full time children in the Lion Program.

Noah’s Ark participates in the state-funded preschool program for four-year-old children. We offer 12 hours of free preschool that meets 8:30 AM-11:30 AM Monday through Thursday. We provide more free hours of preschool than the state requires because we feel this is a valuable time of learning for children.

Our class sizes are small, and the staff-to-child ratio is low. The State requires one licensed teacher per classroom, the Giraffe Program has two licensed teachers to better serve the children. Unique to our community, children who attend all day are with a licensed teacher the entire day. We focus on kindergarten readiness skills. Our teachers assess where your child starts and strives to help them reach future goals. We pride ourselves on being a play-based program that incorporates learning naturally into what your child is interested in doing. Children enjoy a highly researched curriculum that is specifically designed for learners of this age, such as “Handwriting Without Tears” and “Read it Again”.

​

We enroll five-year-old children who may benefit from additional preschool time before kindergarten.

We are committed to providing a high quality early childhood summer program for school aged children. Our program is a highly structured, educational, and exciting summer program, created with your child’s best interest at heart. The State of Iowa requires a minimum of one caregiver to fifteen children ratio.  We provide one caregiver to twelve children ratio therefore limiting this class to twelve children. This ratio provides more one on one care for your developing child . We incorporate reading, math, STEM, art, physical and social-emotional activities daily. Your child will continue to learn through the summer with a more relaxed, hands on, play-based approach than they are used to during the school year.