Annual MOMS Club Preschool Fair is Set for Wednesday, Jan. 8

Sure, the current school year is just emerging from the holiday break (and deep freeze), but planning and registration season for the 2014-2015 has commenced, and many parents need to be in decision-making mode if they are choosing a new preschool for their child.

Wednesday night several area preschools will be on-hand from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at St. Michael City Hall for parents to meet, ask questions and get information in time to send those registration forms in on time. The event is hosted by the St. Michael MOMS Club.

 “The first couple weeks in January is really when you have to sign up,” member Heather Hansen told Patch in 2011, “so this is a great time for families because if you get in those first couple weeks then hopefully you’re in that upper part of the list.”

Hansen explained that some preschools fill up on a first come, first served basis, while others work on a lottery system. But even if your preschool of choice is a lottery, you still need to have forms in before the deadline to be part of the initial lottery. For parents of first-time preschoolers, these deadlines can sneak up a lot quicker than some expect.

Past participants in the fair include the following schools: St. Michael Catholic School Preschool, Pumpkin Patch Preschool in Monticello, Bright Beginnings through STMA Public Schools, Children’s Country Preschool in Hanover and Christ Church in Otsego. 

“The nice thing is that you can ask them questions without having to go and visit every single preschool,” Hansen said. “It’s just a nice, relaxed atmosphere.”

St. Michael’s MOMS Club Northeast has been hosting this event since at least 2005, and they also use the time as an opportunity to introduce St. Michael-Albertville’s multiple MOM’s Club options to local parents. The STMA area currently has five MOM’s Clubs to join, depending on which area of town you live in: St. Michael Northeast, St. Michael West, St. Michael Central, St. Michael Hanover and Albertville.

“We really want to build and to let people know that MOM’s Clubs are around,” Hansen said. “They do wonderful things; each club puts a calendar out every month of activities for stay at home moms or part-time working moms to do with their kids. We find activities in the community as much as we can.”