Welcome to Pilgrim Community Preschool!

Dear Families,

We truly enjoyed spending time with you and your children the last few weeks during Home Visits, Curriculum and Welcome Night, and are looking forward to our school year starting Tuesday September 2nd! This first Director Newsletter is FULL of important information to help start our year smoothly for everyone, please read in its entirety.

What a lovely first month of school we’ve had! In the few short weeks we’ve been together, children been busy settling into their new school routines with new friends while exploring a wide range of topics including apples, trees, all about fall, farm animals and outer space. Maria and I have enjoyed greeting you at drop off and pickup and spending time playing in each classroom getting to know everyone a bit more. We had a special visit from Joe Cella, the Early Learning Coordinator at The Collaboration for Early Childhood, who observed our Nature Preschool class as they explored during their morning routine. We love sharing the deep play and exploration happening in our all classrooms, Check out this sweet video highlighting his visit!

October has been a flurry of Pilgrim events! From the Banned Book Storytime, Potty Training Workshop, Fall Fest Trunk or Treat, PCPS Ofrenda Table and our Costume Parade, I think it’s fair to say this month had something for everyone.

We have so much to be thankful for as we reflect on a year of joyful learning at Pilgrim Community Preschool. As with every family we have served since 1966, we are grateful YOU have chosen Pilgrim Community Preschool to be your child’s first educational home. It is both an honor and a privilege to be partners with you in your child’s growth during this special time in your family’s life.

Happy New Year! We hope your holidays and winter breaks have been joyful for you and your families; we are excited to see everyone again next week and hearing all about your time together. At Pilgrim Community Preschool, 2026 will be a special year as we celebrate our 60th Anniversary! We look forward to planning a celebration with our vast community built through six decades of joyous playful education. As we are starting our planning, we would love your input and ideas as well: please fill out the planning committee form below with how you can help us in our celebration!

As we welcome February, a month known for celebrating love, kindness, friendship and diversity we have the perfect opportunity to focus on these values we hold dear at Pilgrim Community Preschool. Especially in these recent months, cultivating neighborly love, strength in community and support systems feels more important than ever. These themes are essential in our mission to provide a loving, welcoming, inclusive and joyful educational home for every child; one that not only nurtures who our children are today, but who they will be in the future. When you spend time in our classrooms, you will frequently observe teachers guiding children by encouraging kindness, sharing, inclusion, and empathy for each other. By creating an environment where we all “use kind words and gentle hands”, take turns, make space for others when we play, ask how we can help when a friend is feeling down, or how we can help when we make a mistake, we lay the foundations for creating a lifetime of meaningful connections and respect for one another.

Dear families,

What a joyful evening of dancing, dining and play together at our 4th annual Pizza Party! A special thank you to our volunteers, room parents, staff, donors and participating pizza parlors for all the support to make this special night happen. Our evening was not only a night of fun; thanks to our community, we raised $4115 for our Ruth Prescott Scholarship Fund! Your continued support of events and fundraisers like these help keep Pilgrim an option for many families in our community. As always, thank YOU for being a part of our Pilgrim Community.