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Little Friends Preschool is a non-denominational, non-profit preschool located in Bristol, RI. We serve the local community by providing a high quality preschool experience for children ages 3-5 years of age. We believe in a developmentally appropriate method that allows children to learn/play at their own pace. We find that by bringing out the strengths in children they are able to grow in a positive direction.

Description:
The Little Friends Preschool is licensed by the Rhode Island Department of Education. We follow guidelines by the state regarding developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood education. Our preschool consists of two classrooms with a total of ten learning/play centers: art, music, pre-math, pre-science, blocks/construction, dramatic play, housekeeping, cooking, gross motor, writing and books. These centers reflect our belief that when children make choices for themselves as to where to play they will become lifelong lovers of learning. Our curriculum is geared towards the interests of the children. Currently we are investigating a long-term project called “Animals in Winter”.
We are staunch believers that children learn best by doing and exploring and not by rote academic standards that are misguided efforts to hurry children from one stage of development to the next.
We have rented our space from the First Congregational Church in their Christian Education Annex for the past 13 years. Although we are non-denominational we are both institutions that are firmly committed to serving our local community. This past year we participated in a “Giving Tree” program organized by one of the church members for inner city children. We welcome all people of all faiths, colors and ethnicities. We embrace learning about different cultures from our families. Over the years we have had the opportunity to learn about Chinese, German, Jamaican, Danish and many other cultures. We have also participated in food drives for a local soup kitchen and love to sing at mini concerts for senior citizens. We believe this type of activity contributes to children’s social-emotional development and prepares them for becoming good citizens of the world.
We look forward to continuing our mission in the community and finding the strengths in each individual child that comes to Little Friends Preschool.

History:
We have transitioned from a full day preschool/childcare facility to a half day preschool only program during this past year, 2006-2007. For the previous 14 years we were open full day and year round, although we were losing money in the summer. Throughout the years we have tried to be involved in the local community and have enjoyed a good reputation and high marks on assessments from a childcare network we were a member of.

Contact person: Kathleen Boylan, Executive Director, (410) 253-3053, (email)

Address:

300 High Street Bristol, RI 02809 (See a map)

Directions:

We are located in the First Congregational Church School Annex on the corner of High St. and Bradford St. near downtown Bristol.   Nearest Bus Stop: cor. of Hope and State St., 6 mins minute walk

Miscellaneous Information

Handicap accessible?
	No
Interests Served:
	Solutions for Children, Youth, Families
Does your agency accept court-appointed volunteers?
	No