Welcome to Little Folks!

About Our Program

Little Folks has been serving families and young children since 1979.

The staff at Little Folks know that the early years are important years we share with you and your child. Our philosophy is aimed toward a complete developmentally appropriate program, touching on the physical-perceptual, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual growth of your child.

We are a program with a Christian setting and are independent of The Gateway Church, but we do include Bible songs and stories, Jesus' birth. We also pray before snack and lunch. No specific doctrine or chapel time is taught, but we do learn about God's love for us. Please tell us about your family's background or beliefs, if you wish. It can help us make a smooth transition for your child.

Children with special needs are welcome in our program.

Please contact us for current rates and to schedule a tour of our school. You and your child are most welcome to visit. During your visit you may stay with your child and let them play. Helping your child make this transition and feel comfortable before enrolling is our desire. Once your child attends, feel free to call during the morning to check on your child.

Licenses and Accreditation

We are licensed by the City of Coeur D'Alene for ages 1 month through 6 years and 61/2 - 11 summer school-agers and have met and exceeded our fire, life safety, and health inspection codes.

We are dedicated to providing a nurturing, educational program for your child. As such, we are accredited by NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) and have met the highest national standards for early childhood!

Little Folks is a non-profit, non-discriminatory school. There is no discrimination due to race, creed, color, national origin, culture, or religion; all children are accepted. This is a partial child care assistance program for low income families. Contact Idaho Department of H & W for more info.
We are ICCP and NACCRRA approved. This is child care assistance for an active depolyed military or guard person.

Our Faculty and Staff

Teachers at Little Folks are chosen for their experience and education in early childhood education and are required to attend staff meetings and teacher conferences.

Faculty and Staff are subject to law enforcement background checks and must be CPR certified.

Little Folks is co-directed by Deb and Sandy and we'd be happy to answer any further questions you may have.

Volunteers

Regular classroom volunteers must pass a background checked and be fingerprinted. However, You may volunteer for field trips, if able and you're welcome to eat lunch with your child or help with special events.

Philosophy and Goals for the Children

Early childhood should be a journey, not a race.

Goals

Learning is planned throughout the day: fine motor coordination, puzzles, science and cooking, literacy activities, stories, music, movement, creative art, block play, family/house play, math skills and pre-reading skills/phonics, large motor play outdoors, and occasional field trips to enhance learning in these areas. When we go on field trips in our school bus, children are always buckled, including toddler car seats.

We use 'Ages and Stages Questionnaires' developmental screenings (4 mo-5yrs) and developmental checklists. Theses are tools to access how your child is growing and help us and you work together to help your child grow. We provide school readiness evaluation, developmental checklists and fall/spring parent-teacher conferences for all ages. We'll share these with you at conference time and your input about your child is welcome at any time.

We also utilize parts of the Creative Curriculum intertwined with our lesson plans to help us plan and meet developmental goals in all areas of growth and development for you child in activities we plan for our classes.

If there's a problem, see us; we'll try to find a solution with consideration to your needs and our philosophy and policies of our board.