Apex UMC Preschool

We believe that the children are the curriculum.  We use their interests to help guide our mornings.  Our philosophy is deeply rooted in the knowledge that children learn through play.  A typical day for our children includes ample free play, story time, music and movement, art experiences, playground time, games, language development, sensory experiences and snack. Each week, the children participate in chapel with singing and bible stories, as well as a separate music class with our fabulous music teacher, Ms. Ashleigh.

AUMC preschool loosely follows the Wake County School System’s traditional calendar for holidays, teacher workdays, and inclement weather days. We begin our school year during the first week of September and end the last week of May.

All of our teachers are carefully selected for their backgrounds in education, their experience, and their love of children. All classes have a teacher and an assistant. Our 2-year-old classes have 10 children, our 3-year-old classes have 12 children, and our 4- and 5-year-old classes have 14 children.

• Children enrolled in our 3, 4 and 5 year-old classes must be toilet-trained and able to use the bathroom independently.
• Children must be up-to-date on immunizations as required by the NC Immunization Branch of the NC Department of Health and Human Services.
• We follow the WCPSS age cut-off date of August 31st for class placement.

 For the current preschool year (2025-2026): We have a few openings throughout the preschool that will be filled on a first come first serve basis.  To inquire about a spot for your child, please email us at preschool@apexumc.org.

Parent Handbook 2025-2026

Registration for next year (2026-2027):

The registration window for next fall will be open from Monday, December 1, 2025-Wednesday, January 7, 2026.  

Please read both of these documents before registering:

Registration Information

Enrollment & Withdrawal Policies

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Registration steps:

1. Complete this registration request form.
2. Pay the invoice for the registration fee. This will be emailed to you once your registration form is approved.
3. Download the Brightwheel app and turn on notifications. We will send a message through Brightwheel on Friday, 1/9/26 to let you know if your child was placed in a class or added to the waitlist.

Email us at preschool@apexumc.org with any questions!

Preschool Tours:

We hope you’ll be able to join us for a group tour!  Choose a day/time that works for you from the options listed below.  Tours meet in the preschool lobby and usually last about 20-30 minutes.  Use the address 201 Olive Street to navigate right to our preschool building. No sign up necessary!

2025 Tour Schedule–

Wednesday, 10/29/25 @ 12:30pm

Wednesday, 11/5/25 @ 10:30am

Thursday, 11/13/25 @ 12:30pm

Tuesday, 11/18/25 @ 10:30am

Friday, 12/5/25 @ 10:30am

Thursday, 12/11/25 @ 12:30pm

Tuesday, 1/6/26 @ 10:30am

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**Important Communication Information**

Once you have completed the registration request form, please download the Brightwheel app onto your phone.  Make sure to enable push notifications within the app, as well as on your device settings.  We communicate exclusively through Brightwheel.   

Click here for help turning on notifications.

All payments are collected via the Brightwheel app.  Through Brightwheel, parents have the option to pay tuition using a credit card or by setting up an ACH bank draft.  There is also an optional auto-pay feature.  Tuition payments are due on the 1^st of each month.

Click here for our class offerings and tuition rates for the 2026-2027 preschool year which begins August 31, 2026.

For any financial questions, please contact our Business Administrator, Kelly Debevec at  kelly.debevec@apexumc.org.

Currently enrolled families can use Brightwheel to access the necessary information to complete their taxes.  Click on the link below for step-by-step directions.

Self-Serve Tax Info from Brightwheel

• AUMC Preschool is a front-door ministry of Apex United Methodist Church.
• We firmly believe that children learn through play.
• Our staff is experienced and knowledgeable.  Our teachers are lifelong learners who participate in quality professional development every year.
• Teachers consider the four domains of child development when daily planning centers and learning activities.  Our goal is to facilitate the development of fine & gross motor skills, social/emotional intellgence, as well as, communication and cognitive skills.
• Each class has a Lead Teacher and a Teacher Assistant and class sizes are limited to 10 kids in the 2’s, 12 kids in the 3’s and 14 kids in the 4’s and 5’s.
• We use the age cut-off date that WCPSS uses for class placement – August 31.
• Children must be up-to-date on immunizations and a copy of their immunization record is due by the first day of preschool.
• “Specials” include Music and Chapel weekly. We have a Music teacher that meets individually with each class and leads music during chapel.
• For Chapel we follow the Preschool Curriculum that our Sunday School uses and our Pastors and Children’s Ministry Director come share the Bible stories with us.
• We use carpool drop-off in the mornings and everyone parks and walks in for pick-up.
• We provide each child with a red preschool bag that they will bring to class with them each day.
• We are a nut-free facility.  No nut products are allowed down our preschool hallway.

Two-Year-Old Classes

We have two overarching goals for our youngest friends.  We want to help them learn that preschool is a fun & safe place and that their parents always come back.

• Children in this age group do not have to be potty trained and teachers will work with you if this process happens during the preschool year. We have teeny-tiny potties on the 2’s/3’s side of the preschool hallway so they may show interest after seeing some of their peers use the bathroom.
• At this age they do not have an official circle time each day, but will gather as a group to sing songs, listen to a story or play a game.  Most of their morning is spent engaged in play!
• We will begin to introduce concepts like how to follow 1-2 step directions, take turns, and make transitions.
• Classes make transitions to music and the playground either by holding hands with a friend (“two by two”) or holding on to rings on a rope to help guide them along.
• Students will begin learning age-appropriate responsibilities, like throwing their trash away after snack and helping clean up toys.

Three-Year-Old Classes

• Children must be independently potty trained starting in the 3s. There are bathrooms in the classroom they can use at any time and group bathrooms up front in the lobby.
• Our three-year-old friends will spend their mornings engrossed in free-choice play.  They will have the ability to move around the classroom exploring and learning with blocks, play dough, sensory tubs, art materials and so much more!
• Students will begin to learn how to line up and walk together in a line when they go places.
• Independence is encouraged! Students hang up their own school bags and coats. They are also taught how to put coats, art shirts, etc. on independently.
• Children in these classes are continuing to learn how to share and take turns, express how they are feeling and how to be apart of a classroom community.

Four-Year-Old Classes

Like our younger friends, our “big kids” are going to spend their mornings engrossed in play!  Research shows us that when young children engage in meaningful, child-led play, they’re developing a variety of important skills, including:

• Social Skills: Sharing, taking turns, cooperating, and negotiating with peers.
• Emotional Skills: Understanding and expressing their feelings, developing empathy, and managing emotions.
• Cognitive Skills: Problem-solving, critical thinking, and creativity as they explore and experiment.
• Language Skills: Expanding vocabulary, practicing conversation, and improving communication through storytelling and role-play.
• Motor Skills: Fine motor skills through activities like building or drawing, and gross motor skills through running, jumping, and climbing.
• Self-Regulation: Learning to follow rules, wait for their turn, and manage impulses.
• Imagination and Creativity: Engaging in imaginative play fosters creativity and innovation.
• Cultural Awareness: Understanding different perspectives and experiences through role-playing and diverse play materials.

Meaningful play is a vital way for children to learn about themselves and the world around them!  But most importantly, it helps build the foundation for learning in elementary school and beyond.

Transition Class (Five-year-olds)

This class is for children who are age-eligible to go to kindergarten but for either social, developmental or academic reasons are being given the gift of time to spend one more year at preschool.

• More independence is expected and encouraged.
• Children participate in fine motor building activities, to build & develop the muscles in their hands.  They also work on developing a proficient pencil grasp.
• The children often receive more individual instruction and the teacher can meet them where they are academically.
• Handwriting Without Tears is continued and each student gets a workbook to use, taking it a step beyond what they did in the 4s.
• Children continue to receive support with social skills and conflict resolution with peers.  They continue with the Second Step program, learning how to name their feelings/emotions and strategies on how to regulate them when needed.