About Us

About Us

Welcome!

The purpose of Opportunity School is to provide a developmentally

appropriate preschool for

three, four,

and five year old children so that they can

expand their world with a variety of materials and

experiences. We strive

to build

positive relationships with children and adults outside the family in a safe and

loving environment.

History

In 1968 a small group of concerned friends, organized by Nancy Savage,

established Ottawa

Opportunity

School. They had great enthusiasm and began

with only eight children. They hoped to provide

these children with a

variety of

interesting and enriching experiences. Our preschool was established primarily

meet the needs of

children whose families would not otherwise provide an

opportunity for a preschool

experience. First Presbyterian

Church, where Nancy

Savage was a member, quickly took on the venture as a

church project. The

membership

initially financed the school including providing space to house the

program. Ottawa Opportunity School is still a mission of the church and continues

to received financial and other assistance from the church

. Over the past forty

years classrooms and

staff have been added until today the

preschool

erves

ver

100

children

ith

a staff of

14.

Mission and Goals

The mission of Ottawa Opportunity School is to serve children and families

in our community by

providing a high quality, affordable early childhood

education program and by establishing a working

partnership between

family and school.

Opportunity School strives to provide a developmentally appropriate program for

three, four, and five year old

children to expand their world with a variety of

materials and experiences and to foster postive relationships

with our children and

adults outside the immediate family in a safe and loving environment.

Our program provides an early childhood educational experience to children with

a need; especially children

who would not otherwise have the opportunity for

preschool experiences. The school will attempt to serve at

least one scholarship

student to each paying student without regard to sex, race, color, creed, national or

ethnic

origin.

Ottawa Opportunity School

regarded as part of the mission program of the

First

Presbyterian Church

of Ottawa and its outreach program.

Partners

Through the cooperative efforts and financial assistance of the Illinois

State Board of Education,

United

Way of Eastern LaSalle County, The Child

Welfare Guild of Ottawa, and generous individual

contributors, Ottawa

Opportunity

School is able to offer scholarships that cover part or all of the tuition for many

families who qualify.

Philosophy

Opportunity School supports the philosophy that children learn

through active engagement with

materials, other children, and adults in their

environment. This engagement is structured around play. Play is

essential part

of development through which children can build a positive self image, solve

problems,

acquire small

and gross motor skills and expand their understanding of

the world. Developmentally

appropriate activities such as

block building, language

experiences, dramatic play and art, provide

experiences that support all areas of

development: physical, social, emotional and cognitive.

We believe that all children are unique with special needs and abilities. We accept

these children as they are

and

help them to grow and develop. We feel the

children's self esteem is very important in how they learn and

prepare for

future

school success. We offer opportunities to gain self worth, competence and

confidence.

Parents and families play a vital role in their child's growth and development. We

recognize the family as the

child's

first and most important teacher. Working in

partnership with the family is central to our program's

philosophy.