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There are a lot of things that impress me about Adventures preschool, but the thing that has always impressed me the most is the quality of the teachers and their philosophy of preschool education.  The teachers fully understand preschool children’s capabilities and ask of them enough to expand their abilities, but not enough to frustrate them.  They also understand that the children’s abilities to sit still or stay quiet vary from day to day and structure the day to be sure that they are not sitting still for too long.  They work in academic skills without the students even knowing it because they are always having fun.  The teachers also have a way of talking to the children that solves problems and teaches them lessons at the same time.  I have learned so much about how to talk to my own children just by listening to them.  I wish I could always be as calm as they are.  Thank you Adventures for providing such a wonderful learning environment for both of my children.

- Amy Divine

I have two children who attended Adventures.  There they received lots of positive attention that made going to school fun.  Through making their own snacks and eating them family-style, the children learned about social behavior and being part of a group.  I found it really valuable to get to know the other parents and children and to see firsthand how exceptional the teachers were.  I am very happy that I found Adventures when it was time for preschool.

-Jo Ann Kovar

My son has been at Adventures Preschool for two years.  It has provided him with a safe, structured, nurturing environment in which he has thrived.  The environment that the teachers create has enabled him to learn to express himself in a positive way, work out conflicts and interact with his peers.  As he heads off to kindergarten this fall, I know that because of his time at Adventures, he is well prepared to face the social and academic challenges of kindergarten.

- Jessica Brandon

We moved to Ames almost two years ago and wanted to find the right preschool for our son.  After visiting several in Ames, we knew Adventures was the right fit for us.  I was really excited about the multi-age classroom, their philosophies of problem solving, the adult to child ratio, and the variety of choices presented to children on a daily basis.  I love that the children make their snack every day and the effort made to get 20 children out to the playground each day is a major plus as well.  We live steps away from Northwood Preschool and although it is tempting to send our son there for convenience and savings, I feel so passionate about what Adventures is accomplishing as a preschool, I will send my son there as a four year old as well and will hope that it will continue to be available as an option in our community for my daughter and for other Ames families for many years to come.

- Lisa Percy

The positive, nurturing environment at Adventures has been one of the most important elements of my daughter's growth and joy these past two years. Ever a happy child to begin with, my daughter loves preschool at Adventures so much that she often asks, "What day is it?" -to find out if she gets to go to preschool that day.

As a parent, I am deeply impressed with the teachers - how they give the children such encouragement to find their own voices and to explore their own interests and skills. For example, every month, the kids get to draw a picture and narrate its story. It is amazing to witness the whole process -how excited the kids are to share their story with the adult who writes it down for them, how proud they are when a teacher shares their picture and reads the story to the whole class, and how much their gifts in storytelling and drawing develop as the year progresses.

In so many ways, Adventures helps grow confident, caring kids... even as the co-op aspect helps us parents learn more about our children when we volunteer in the classroom. Because of Adventures, I now volunteer in my elementary-school son's classroom as well, and I am truly grateful to Adventures for showing me how such classroom experiences give me a deeper connection to my children's intellectual and social growth. The amount of volunteering at Adventures is quite do-able, even for a full-time working parent like me, and I really value these times.

It's funny, but I enrolled my daughter in Adventures two years ago because I thought she would have fun, but I now realize how much both she and I have had fun ...and learned... because of the wonderful program at Adventures.

- Linda Shenk