About Foothills Alliance School

Our Preschool's beginning correlates with the 1993 construction of the Foothills Alliance Church in Edgemont. It has continued to grow and is operating 6 classes for 3 & 4 year old children.

The Kindergarten program was implemented one year after the Preschool. It operates 5 morning classes a week, providing an Alberta Education accredited program of 475 hours.

Both programs are making a positive Christian impact in NW Calgary.

Our Services

Solid Foundations is Foothills Alliance School’s Early Intervention Program for both Preschool and Kindergarten. Children are screened in September to determine needs to qualify for services. (Consent must be provided).

Services provided are speech therapy, occupational therapy (fine motor skills, play skills, etc.), Early Language Learning, access to an educational psychologist and physiotherapy. Solid Foundations is a registered Alberta Education program and completely funded by Alberta Learning.

Our Staff

Each Kindergarten teacher must hold a valid Alberta Teaching Certificate. Preschool teachers must hold either a valid Alberta Teaching Certificate or a Level III Certificate in Early Childhood Education. Our Preschool assistant teachers have at least a Level I Certificate in Early Childhood Education.

All staff must be in agreement with the Statement of Faith of the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church and the School’s Education Philosophy Policy. Each person on staff will have a security clearance to ensure the safety of the children and the peace of mind of the parents.

Our Kindergarten

The Foothills Alliance Kindergarten Society is regulated under the Private ECS Operators Branch of Alberta Education. General goals and guidelines have been provided for all Kindergarten programs and we have used these goals, philosophies and program dimensions to develop our curriculum.

Why Half Days

In Alberta, Kindergarten is goverment funded based on a model of part-time instruction. This can mean a half-day program (like ours) provided 5 days per week, or a full day of Kindergarten 2 days per week, with the addition of a third day (usually a Friday) offered once a month.

At Foothills Alliance School we operate as a half-day program offered 5 days per week. Our focus is to provide excellence in Kindergarten education. Our experience and education guide our belief that attending class of 5 half-days a week is a better option for children at this stage of development.

Attending school each day provides consistency and continuity for early learners. Consistency is always helpful for children. When you are building new skills in communication, social interactions, and following directions, daily experiences strengthen learning and build confidence. The same applies to the academic concepts that we are teaching in class. The five day gap between a Wednesday or Thursday school day and the following Monday or Tuesday is a significant amount of time to a child, and time is spent reviewing past learning rather than moving on to new concepts.

When students attend school each day, our teachers can also more easily identify, monitor, and provide time to those children who benefit from one-on-one attention. It is also easier for our staff to monitor your child’s progress from day to day and provide feedback and encouragement.

There are other benefits: the length of a half-day is not overwhelming to children at this age. This is especially a concern at the start of the school year when most children are growing accustomed to a new environment, new challenges, and growing in maturity. Attending school each day also guarantees that your child will have social interaction with their peers daily. Attending school for half a day allows time for play dates, sports and arts lessons and activities, time with younger siblings, rest, or appointments. Children attending childcare options also benefit from a new environment for the half of their day. New activities and interactions help maintain interest levels and provide learning experiences.

We see better retention of learning from one day to the next when children consistently attend class. This builds confidence and pride in their accomplishments and gives us more time to move forward with new things.

Our Preschool

The Foothills Alliance Preschool is regulated by the Alberta Child Care Licensing Act, and supported by Child and Family Services. We believe development is accomplished through the ABC’s of education: Achievement oriented, Balanced programming, set in a Creative learning environment. Foothills Alliance Preschool is unique in the sense that children are helped to build their self-worth through the knowledge that they are special creations of God.