PHOENIX PRESCHOOL LITTLE CITIZENS
Locality Homes has had the opportunity to partner with Citizens Church as the host location for our quarterly blood drive in February. We were impressed by their facilities, professionalism, and welcoming demeanor. We recently learned that Citizens Church has opened their preschool, Little Citizens Preschool, as of March 22 and it is led by a friend of Locality Homes, Director Karen Konetzni. Karen believes that when given a strong foundation in the early years a child can be successful throughout their life and she has built this preschool with that philosophy in mind.
Karen was born and raised in Moon Valley and still lives in the area today with her husband and 3 daughters. She studied Elementary Education with an emphasis in Early Childhood Development at ASV and got her Masters Degree from NAU. She has taught Kindergarten, 1st grade, and Reading Interventions.
A member of Citizens Church since 2013, Karen is the Children's Pastor and the Director of Little Citizens Preschool. As her background suggests, Karen has always had a passion for kids. She says "it is an honor and privilege to pour into their lives and watch their love for each other and Christ grow each week."
Little Citizens Preschool is a Christian Preschool offering classes for 2, 3, and 4 year old children. Their philosophy is that children are unique individuals who learn best through authentic hands-on learning experiences.
Their preschool program focuses on reading, math, and social development in a safe, nurturing environment. At Little Citizens Preschool children are shown respect from both adults and their peers. They offer age appropriate structures and guidance from nurturing teachers.
Little Citizens is now registering for the 2021-2022 school year, with age-appropriate programs for children turning 2, 3, and 4 as of September 1, 2021. Activities that the kids participate in include painting, exploring, science activities, early literacy, and social skills. Classes for the 2 and 3 year olds run from 9am-12pm with 2, 3, and 5 day options.
The classrooms are designed to help children develop social skills: making friends, awareness of self, recognizing and expressing feelings. Letters, numbers, early concepts of print, and language development are all also incorporated in the classroom through conversation, literature and experiences.
Karen Konetzni
The 4 year old class is from 9am-1pm with 4 or 5 day options and, while it continues to develop the social skills covered in the 2 and 3 rooms, the 4 year olds have an expanded curriculum. Little Citizens' website tells us that 4 year olds have a longer attention span and their natural curiosity is expanding which allows the 4 year old classroom to also focus on science, social studies, letters and numbers, along with beginning explorations of writing.
Check out Little Citizens Preschool at Citizens Church for more information or to start the registration process. We are excited to have another preschool option available for Moon Valley families!
