HRQCC Full-Day Preschool Programs
HRQCC works to provide quality preschool programs that meet each student and family's needs. By providing a supportive, play-based learning environment, we ensure each child receives an individualized academic, social and emotional experience.
Full-Day Preschool for 3s and 4/5s
Before care 6:30 am - 8:30 am
Preschool 8:30 am - 1:00 pm
Aftercare 1:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Monday - Friday $215/week*
Children enrolled in our 3s and 4/5s full-day preschool program benefit from our complete unique academic schedule, using Conscious Discipline, The Creative Curriculum and NC Foundations, morning snack, time to enjoy the outdoor learning environment, in addition to a socially engaging lunch experience.
In addition, these students are able to use our full-time care that takes place before and after our scheduled preschool program. The preschool program provides care during Onslow County Public School closings, early release, and Teacher Workdays.
Children are nurtured and educated through meaningful play experiences built upon the understanding of what their needs are academically, socially, and emotionally using our developmentally appropriate assessments and observational data throughout the preschool year.
Full-time preschoolers enjoy breakfast offerings and snack provided by HRQCC. Students are required to bring their own CACFP packed lunches.
Students in our preschool program learn to become patient, problem solvers, and good citizens in order to best prepare for kindergarten.
To meet licensing requirements, children must be completely potty-trained before enrolling in any of our programs.
Sample Preschool Schedule
Schedules are subject to differ in each classroom and seasonally.
6:30 - 8:30 am
Before Care and Welcome
A time when students are entering the classroom, teachers greet and speak briefly with families, and students choose calming, free-choice activities.
Students have an option to participate in HRQCC provided breakfast.
Free choice, small group and individual activities are available at this time.
8:30 am
Circle Time
Circle time and whole group activities provide students the opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas with classmates, practice to take turns, learn respect for others' opinions with problem solving skills, and gain a sense of community and belonging. It promotes growth academically, socially, and socially/emotionally in order to prepare for kindergarten activities and expectations.
Welcome children to the classroom. Circle time is the perfect place to establish a classroom community as teachers and children take time to greet one another. This can be done through a welcome song or an activity in which the children track who came to school each day, like with a classroom graph.
Introduce new materials. Circle time is an excellent opportunity to make sure each child understands how to use new materials added to the room. This way, all children have received the same directions on how to use the material safely and successfully.
Review social rules. Circle time is also an appropriate setting for reviewing classroom rules and social customs, like how to treat classmates. You will still have to offer many children individual reminders about how to follow the classroom rules; however, introducing these concepts at circle time helps children understand the rules of the community and how to be a part of the social environment.
9:30 am
Outdoor Activities
Outdoor learning experiences are a fantastic and essential way for our students to master new skills, develop confidence in gross motor tasks, discover ways to play and socialize with peers, and use their imagination!
The daily scheduled outdoor times are as important for physical, social and emotional development as our indoor learning environments. The openness of the outdoor learning space allows for imaginative play and room for freedom and fun.
Students have the ability to learn about the world and nature as teachers engage them in endless learning opportunities. Students discover relationships with the world around them and build language skills while learning through play in our outdoor learning space.
10:30 am
Small Group Activities
Students are able to choose their center activities throughout this time while learning through play. Teachers join students and guide their learning while engaging in student-chosen and student-driven activities.
Differentiated learning: Children come to the classroom with different strengths, interests, experiences, and needs. Small group learning allows teachers and co-teachers to meet children where they are, introducing ideas and activities that are developmentally appropriate for each student.
Open-ended conversations: Small group learning provides opportunities for children and teachers to ask many different questions. Teachers have the opportunity to support students to work on problem solving skills and to build independence and confidence.
Child-led activities: In small group settings, teachers are able to customize activities and follow the children’s interests to guide their individual learning needs.
12:00 pm
Lunch and Quiet Activities
This is a time when students join together to enjoy a meal brought from home. Children are asked to bring boxed/bagged meals that follow nutritional guidelines set by the CACFP.
"The nutrition standards for meals and snacks served in the CACFP are based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, science-based recommendations made by the National Academy of Medicine, cost and practical considerations, and stakeholder input. The standards support the service of a greater variety of vegetables and fruit, whole grains, lean meats/meat alternative, and low-fat and fat-free dairy while minimizing added sugar and saturated fat."
12:30 - 2:30 pm
Rest Time
Students have the opportunity to rest, sleep or participate in quiet activities on their individual cots. Rest time is essential to help young minds process and sort everything they learned during the morning and it lowers stress and reduces afternoon overstimulation and improves self-regulation. Sleeping is optional; the main goal for students is physical and mental relaxation. Children who do not fall asleep after 30 minutes are given quiet, independent activities.
2:30 - 3:30 pm
Snack and Small Group Activities
After students have eaten their afternoon snack, they are able to choose their center activities throughout this time while learning through play. Teachers join students and guide their learning while engaging in student-chosen and student-driven activities.
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Differentiated learning: Children come to the classroom with different strengths, interests, experiences, and needs. Small group learning allows teachers and co-teachers to meet children where they are, introducing ideas and activities that are developmentally appropriate for each student.
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Open-ended conversations: Small group learning provides opportunities for children and teachers to ask many different questions. Teachers have the opportunity to support students to work on problem solving skills and to build independence and confidence.
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Child-led activities: In small group settings, teachers are able to customize activities and follow the children’s interests to guide their individual learning needs.
3:30 - 6:00 pm
Dismissal
Students typically spend this time outdoors on our nature-based playground. They are able to express creativity, use their imagination and learn through play. We believe that nature provides the ultimate classroom for preschool-aged children. Our outdoor space is intentionally designed to move away from rigid, plastic structures and move toward natural landscapes, loose parts, and sensory-rich environments. Here, your child won't just play—they will explore, discover, and grow.
Key features of our outdoor space:
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The Mud Kitchen: favorite spots for sensory exploration where children measure, pour, mix and bake "mud pies," developing fine motor skills and creative expression.
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Loose Parts & Construction Zone: Equipped with diverse materials and parts, children use these items to build forts, bridges, and imaginative worlds.
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Community Garden Beds: A hands-on space where children plant seeds, tend to vegetables, and learn firsthand where their food comes from.