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After nearly 20 combined years working for in early Montessori-style education, Chapi Johnson, left, and Emily Webb opened Lexington Friends Pre-School in August. Photo by Sarah Jane Sanders.
When Fayette County Schools kicked off this semester, a unique new preschool on Lexington’s north side was among the options for parents looking to give their 2- to 6-year-olds an educational head start.
The young founders and directors of Lexington Friends Preschool, Emily Webb and Chapi Johnson, are both Montessori-accredited teachers with nearly 20 years of experience in early education between them; Johnson worked most recently as a lead teacher at Children’s Montessori School of Georgetown, while Webb’s primary teaching experience was in a Montessori classroom at Sayre School. The friends had long dreamed of starting their own school, and when an opportunity arose last year to partner with the Lexington Friends Meetinghouse – a Quaker organization with a newly renovated LEED-certified meetinghouse on Price Avenue – the time was ripe for that dream to take shape as a reality.
With a full remodeling completed in 2014 by Prajna Design and Construction, the basement of Lexington Friends Meetinghouse was redesigned to include a day-care facility, which ended up being the perfect space for the preschool.
“It’s kind of part of the mission of the Meeting to provide high-quality daycare to children in this area,” Johnson explained. “One of the women who attends the Meeting knew that I was interested in starting a preschool, so she encouraged it and it just ended up being a perfect fit.”
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The Lexington Friends Pre-School "outdoor classroom" is a courtyard featuring a garden and more. Photo by Sarah Jane Sanders.
Lexington Friends Preschool, which rents its space from the Friends Meetinghouse, is not technically a Quaker school, but Johnson said many of the school’s values overlap with those of its host – including emphases on community, compassion, mindfulness and respect for individuals.
“Their values are in line,” she said. “[Quakers] are very respectful of each person as an individual, and don’t see some people as better than others.”
While both are deeply entrenched in Montessori-style education, Webb and Johnson are careful to point out the Lexington Friends Preschool is not officially Montessori-accredited.
“Since we’re both Montessori teachers, it’s certainly Montessori-inspired,” Webb said, “but we plan on having more imaginative play than Montessoris typically offer. We want to do lots more outdoor, environmental education, a lot more art, more outdoor exploration.
“We’re both definitely on the line of just letting children be free to imagine and create,” she added.
The school is working with several community organizations, including Seedleaf and Bluegrass Greensource, to incorporate various elements of environmental education, including gardening and composting features, and an outdoor classroom. Out back, a natural “playscape” – a play area that incorporates elements of the natural landscape into the design – was designed increase the children’s interaction with nature. According to Webb, playscapes are part of a new movement in play that is moving away from traditional manufactured playgrounds toward natural playscapes that allow for a more “hands on” experience with nature.
“People are interested in changing the way that playgrounds look and the way children experience the outdoors,” Webb said. “It’s exciting for us that we have this blank slate to start with.”
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The Lexington Friends Pre-School classroom, located in the Lexington Friends Meetinghouse on Price Street in north Lexington. Photo by Sarah Jane Sanders.
An emphasis on individualized learning will carry throughout every element of the school’s curriculum, which will also feature science, math, language and art. Johnson said socialization also rises to the top as one of the most important elements for children at this age.
“A huge part of education for kids this age is socialization and working out the little issues they have,” Johnson said. “That’s an enormous part of our job – figuring out when to step in and when to just let them work it out and how to respectfully let them figure out how to navigate relationships.”
Open to children ages 23 months to six years, Lexington Friends Preschool is currently on a waiting list for new students. The school’s semesters align with the Fayette County Public Schools, with ongoing registration.
For more information or to schedule a tour of the school, visit www.lexingtonfriendspreschool.com.
LEXINGTON FRIENDS PRE-SCHOOL 6th for a Cause
Saturday, Sept. 4
West Sixth Brewing, 501 W. Sixth St.
4-7 p.m.
West Sixth BRewing will host a fundraiser event for Lexington Friends Pre-School, donating a portion of all proceeds from purchases at the brewery that day to the school.
Kids’ activities, including face painting, bubbles and crafts will take place from 4-6 p.m.