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Preschool at NNPS

Preschool at NNPS

Preschool at NNPS

Newport News Public Schools (NNPS) Preschool is a program that provides 4-year-olds in Newport News a FREE, high-quality, early childhood experience in preparation for kindergarten readiness (and beyond!). It is a state and federally funded program, designed to give eligible children opportunities to develop social-emotional skills and build a strong foundation for learning on the journey to becoming college, career and citizen-ready!

Questions? Please call the NNPS Preschool Office at (757) 283-7850 x.10247.

We are no longer accepting applications for the 2024-25 school year. The 2025-26 NNPS Preschool application will be available in early March 2025.

Please note: NNPS Preschool is a state and federally funded program, and all applications will be reviewed based on eligibility criteria and space availability.

Our Vision

Being a child is magical and joyful. In preschool, we inquire and imagine. We discover and dramatize. We play and puzzle. We read and write. We code and cooperate. We build and brainstorm. We sing and skip. We create and question. We mix and measure. We hug and high-five.

Our Goals

Our curriculum is aligned with Virginia’s Early Learning and Development Standards. We are committed to developing kind, curious, and independent little humans in service to the following goals:

Play & Learning
  • Engage in learning activities that promote creativity, imagination, and curiosity.
  • Apply executive function and self-regulation skills as they interact with the world and others around them.
Social & Emotional Development
  • Recognize and express emotions and care for self and others.
  • Engage in appropriate interactions with adults and other children.
Communication, Language & Literacy Development
  • Know and apply the relationships among letters, sounds, word parts, and vocabulary as they become readers and writers.
  • Communicate effectively based on medium, purpose, task, and audience.
  • Engage with a wide variety of stories, texts, and media to spark interest and build a love of reading.
Health & Physical Development
  • Engage in activities that develop gross and fine motor skills.
  • Know and apply routines of physical health and self-care.
Cognitive Development
  • Explore their natural, physical, and social environment by questioning, predicting, and making connections.
  • Explore and apply the relationships between mathematical concepts as they become problem solvers.
  • Engage in the creative process in order to grow awareness, make connections, and express ideas.
  • Ask questions and apply knowledge to understand and interact with the world.

Our Instructional Approach

Students deserve equitable access to high-quality instructional staff, instruction, resources, and opportunities to learn. Students learn about themselves and their world through hands-on experiences, play-based exploration, and meaningful conversations.

Our instructional day includes explicit instruction, inquiry-based learning, cooperative play, and independent exploration through:

  • Learning and practicing established rules and routines
  • Foundations of early literacy and numeracy
  • Units of study
  • Interest areas
  • Fine arts integration
  • Real-world application

Meet the Preschool Team

Annemarie Hanrahan
Instructional Supervisor & VPI Coordinator
(757)283-7850 x.10249

Cynthia Watson
Instructional Specialist
(757)283-7850