After more than 10 years of working as a teacher at Maple Grove Preschool in Atglen, Wendy Dougherty has been named the school's new director.

Maple Grove Preschool is a ministry of Maple Grove Mennonite Church, and is housed in the church building. "I oversee the staff and the curriculum, work on marketing and enrollment and (interact) with parents and families directly," said Dougherty, explaining her new role at the school. "I miss the classroom interaction with the kids, but I think God placed me in this role at this time. I already knew the teachers and the staff. I knew how things worked and where things are, and it was a smooth transition."

Maple Grove Preschool offers three programs: Little Bears, for toddlers ages 2 and 3; Winkie Bears, for children ages 3 and 4; and Peter Panda, for children ages 4 and 5. "I taught Peter Panda for 13 years," Dougherty pointed out.

The preschool is governed by a board of directors, which includes church members, parents and members of the community. According to http://www.maplegrovepreschool.com, the mission of Maple Grove Preschool is "to show God's love to children and families by building a solid fountain for lifelong learning."

"The preschool has been here for 42 years. We want to continue to offer quality early childhood education and get (students) ready for the next level of learning," Dougherty said. "I think we do a really good job balancing structure and play, which is super important for the prekindergarten kids who are heading into kindergarten next year."

The preschool day includes creative play designed to develop social and language skills, as well as age-appropriate classes in music, science, art and the Bible. "They have circle time, free choice play and academic centers, where they split into two groups for math and science and (return to one group for) literacy skills," Dougherty explained. "After that, there is time to go outside and play. We have a special Bible time each day. We want to lead them spiritually as well to know and to love God, which is an important part of our curriculum."

Because of her years of teaching experience, Dougherty has many children pass through the school. "My first class (of students) are seniors this year. The boys are men; it's amazing," she stated. "The blessing of working here this long is you really get to know families, especially if they have several kids. You get to know them as people and (think of them as) family, and they become part of your story."

Dougherty said she plans to continue the programs and curriculum that are offered by the preschool and that there are no plans to rename the three classes. "They are 40-year-old names, but they are almost iconic to the area," she said. "We thought about changing them, but they are part of who we are."

Maple Grove Preschool, 549 Swan Road, Atglen, is currently accepting applications for the fall semester. Visit http://www.maplegrovepreschool.com to print an application or call 610-593-1159 for more information. Further details about the school are available at the aforementioned website and by searching for "Maple Grove Preschool" on Facebook.