Forbes Business Chamber members were given a guided tour of the new Forbes Pre-School last week. Director of the Pre-school, Amy Shine, said it all started as a request for new bins from then Mayor Phyllis Miller and it ended up with what is now a state of the art facility. Amy worked with various departments to secure grants for the new building to be constructed. The site chosen was once the tennis courts and some of the memorabilia and boards of the Forbes Tennis Club are seen inside the building. The capacity of the school has increased from 39 children per
day to accommodating 180 families.
The facility consist of large storage areas, a laundry, bathrooms, staff room and even doors on the small toilets to give the children privacy. “We wanted the pre-school to feel homely, welcoming and friendly,” said Amy. “Children
from all walks of life are welcome. We believe we can teach the children through sand, dirt, and paint, while iPads are only used for programming and observation for the teachers.”
Each room has between 20-25 children with three staff members. The school employs five full-time staff and 13 part-time staff members. The facility is open for use by other groups. These include an occupational therapist, a
speech therapist and motherhood groups. We try to be inclusive of everyone and are very mindful of meeting the needs of the community” said Amy.