Dayspring Christian Academy invites families with soon-to-be preschoolers, prekindergartners, and kindergartners to an open house on Thursday, Feb. 13, at 10 a.m. at the school, 120 College Ave., Mountville.

The event will feature A Very Hungry Caterpillar Valentine's party that will focus on 1 Corinthians 16:14, "Do everything in love." Parents will meet teachers and learn the distinctives of the Principle Approach, a method of thinking and living by God's truth and the method of education used at Dayspring. The station-centered event will allow visitors to see the way Dayspring teaches math, science/STEM, the Bible, reading, and more.

The preschool program is appropriate for children who turn 3 years old by Sept. 1 and lays the foundation for a Principle Approach education. This program offers an introduction to the alphabet, and students learn about a Bible hero for each letter of the alphabet; this course of study culminates with Bible Character Day, complete with costumes. Age-appropriate history, science, literature, and math lessons are woven together and rooted in God's Word. Guided free play incorporates principles of self-government, order, and unity. Circle time incorporates songs, the calendar, weather, colors, and Bible stories. Daily art projects incorporate a history, science, Bible, and literature focus. Preschool students attend class on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 to 11 a.m.

The prekindergarten program is appropriate for children who are 4 years old or who just turned 5 at the start of the school year. The program is activity-oriented while introducing the structure and rigors of a formal classroom setting. As a first step into scholarship, the student notebook is introduced, and students begin formal steps toward reading through the Sound Sensible program. Students develop early math skills, learn a Bible verse for each letter of the alphabet, and delve into literature as they study the life of Beatrix Potter. They explore music, art, and the environment around them, and they learn to experience the wonder of creation.

The kindergarten program is appropriate for students who are 5 years old or are young 6-year-olds at the start of the school year. The program is still activity-oriented, but more emphasis is placed on paper-and-pencil activities and structured seat work. The student notebook is expanded and built upon as a tool for scholarship. The Writing Road to Reading literacy program and the Really Great Reading phonics program are introduced at this level. Students expand their phonetic awareness and segmentation in preparation for beginning to read; many children learn to read before completing kindergarten.

The preschool, prekindergarten, and kindergarten classes use field studies to bring to life what students learn in the classroom. In all programs, the seeds of scholarship are sown in every academic subject to inspire a love of learning and appreciation for God's hand in all the children do.

For more information or to register for the Early Childhood Education Open House, call 717-285-2000 or go to http://www.dayspringchristian.com.