Boise Childcare and Child Development Educational Services

A top notch education is the focus of Lissa's Learning Ladder. Each child is devoted the necessary time and effort to learn and grow.

Lissa’s Learning Ladder’s child to staff ratios will be lower than Idaho state regulation requirements. These low ratios will create a smaller group size and increase the opportunity to meet each child’s individual needs.

Our preschool program is designed to support our students in mastering basic skills and concepts including shapes, number and letter recognition, fine motor control including cutting with scissors and handwriting and of course social and emotional skills to support in the development of language and friendships.

Our kindergarten readiness program goes beyond basic preschool. We teach our students how to write their first and last names, upper and lower case alphabet letters, their phone number, address and birthday. We also focus on patterning, sorting, sequencing, detection of rhyme, phonemic awareness and simple sight words.

Our classroom schedules and curriculum have been designed to balance academic activities that support cognitive development with free play opportunities that encourage children to play through their imagination and build strong social emotional skills. We organize music and movement activities or group games that get children moving their large muscles and exercising for good health. Our frequent art activities allow children to create with a variety of materials as they express themselves and how they view the world around them. Overall, our main goal is to help each individual child grow and develop at their own pace and succeed in a positive, nurturing and stimulating environment.

Developmental progress reports will be completed on each child every 6 months. Teachers will have time to observe and record each child’s progress and put it into a written report. They will then schedule time to sit down and talk with parents one on one.

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We’re big fans of Linder Farms, because it’s exactly what you’d think a farm should be. The hay rides, straw bale maze, tractor tire playground, corn box, petting zoo, and pedal tractors are devoured by our field trippers. The food is reasonably priced, with a family-friendly atmosphere.

Visits to the parks are a big favorite. DeMeyer, Settlers, and Kleiner Park encourage our kids to romp, play, and enjoy the outdoors.

The educational MK Nature Center teaches kids about the Boise River’s world of wildlife, as they explore 4.6 acres along the Boise River Greenbelt. A look underwater at the viewing windows, fish, fish, and more fish, and the kid-friendly visitors’ center.

We love the Salmon Creek senior living community in Boise! Our neighbors on McMillan and Cloverdale have invited us to be their guests several times, including Halloween, and Veterans’ Day for very special memorials and celebrations. The interactions with Salmon Creek seniors hold priceless moments. Imagine a room filled with grandparents!

*Lissa’s Learning Ladder field trips are only for students four years and older.

Summertime means Kona Ice. Connie and Jim visit at least once per month in the summertime, parking right in our driveway, and making everyone happy. For around two dollars per person, the kids get a flavored shaved ice that’s huge. We all sit together on the front porch, eating and watching the truck do its thing. We have music playing, and it’s a fun, (sort of sticky), and very refreshing shaved ice party.

Preschool Graduation: An entire program where Miss Anne touches on what was learned during school time. The children display their skill at writing their names on the board and other bits of knowledge, they sing songs, and, of course, the parents and teachers can’t help but get a little emotional. Once graduated and Kindergarten-bound, Miss Anne puts their photos on what she calls the “Remembrance Wall”. Our “alumni” are welcome to visit, and sometimes they’ll stay if there’s no school, if it’s a holiday, etc., dependent on their current age, and our availability.

The Boise Fire Department is a favorite. Fire Station #10 is right down the road on McMillan. They know us by name, which is terrific, and have a special affiliation with our kids, who’ve seen their firemen friends speeding past our place a time or two, lights on, sirens blaring, their heroes off to yet another rescue.

Miss Idaho International, Madison Summers, has been a repeat visitor. As an aspiring children’s author and advocate for the Reading is Fundamental literacy program, she’s passionate about educating children on literacy’s importance.

When Santa visits with his wife, Mrs. Claus, he has a special glove that glows red when he touches the tip of a child’s nose, and then their noses turn red, too. We don’t know how he does it, must be some sort of Christmas magic. It’s one of the kids’ favorite things. When Santa sings a song and jingles the bells, Mrs. Claus joins in as he patiently takes each child onto his lap to hear their fondest Christmas wish. The parents are all there to watch as Santa gives the children a gift, one by one.

Mr. Tooth from Small Smiles of Idaho visits our kids, along with his giant toothbrush that the kids get to brush him with. It’s a dental health learning time, complete with a dental hygienist sidekick, that they don’t soon forget.

“Frankie”, the giant Frankenstein M & M, emerges from his box around early October. Anne plugs him in each morning during Halloween season, and he lights up, to the great delight of the kids.

Parent Visits: It’s always a big deal when a parent visits. Their kids are thrilled, and we encourage this. Since the children spend many hours here, it’s good for parents to understand how we do things, see what’s happening from day to day, and parents are welcome anytime. For potlucks or special events, sign-up sheets are posted, and the slots are quickly filled. Our parents are fantastic!

“Look, Mom, it’s Coach Kelly!” our son Jake said as we grocery shopped one day. He’d been enrolled in Coach Kelly’s Amazing Athletes years ago, at his former preschool. While there, he’d learned about so many sports: LaCrosse, volleyball, basketball, football…And now we’ve found her again! We proudly announce that Coach Kelly comes to our school weekly (for an additional fee of around $40 per month for those enrolled), and we couldn’t be happier to have this happy, energetic, phenomenal coach as a part of our lineup.

Tuesdays bring the Magic Tumble Bus, gymnastics and gross motor skills for preschoolers and toddlers, on wheels! Balance beams, trampolines, and bars especially designed for young children. A non-competitive, early childhood movement program that enhances flexibility and increases self-confidence.

*Cost for the Magic Tumble Bus is separate from Lissa’s Learning Ladder tuition.

Summertime Sprinkler Days: Kids put on their swimsuits and enter a wet water zone where they’ll splash, eat popsicles, and soak in the sparkle of the season.

We like to go for “nature” walks down some of the slower side roads’ sidewalks nearby, taking in the leaves, grass, and the birds. Trekking over to Joplin Elementary’s playground is one of our favorite things to do.

We have a special relationship with Joplin Elementary. Joplin’s principal, Mrs. Gourley, has been a terrific support. She stopped by on a 100 degree summer’s day as we worked on our school, introduced herself, and asked why our son wasn’t going to Joplin. Within a week, Jake was enrolled, and we’ve been good friends ever since. Mrs. Gourley is there to answer any questions about current Kindergarten curriculum, and is sure to welcome us whenever we visit the school. When we presented a donation check (the first of many) to Joplin, Mrs. Gourley honored Lissa’s Learning Ladder in front of the entire school. She even canceled a trip to McCall to help out with a fund-raising garage sale we held, on behalf of Joplin. Our proximity with Joplin Elementary, both location-wise and relationship-wise, has been an incredible asset.