At Crenshaws
Revised: June 23, 2008.
Where else can you go to get all off these great activities for your 3-6 year old? The program is built around rotations in Gymnastics, swimming, creative play, arts and crafts and academics. In the Summer the academics is substituted with story time. What a great way to build strength, confidence and learn those important special motor skills that are needed for development!
Parents, did you know that Palaestra is one of the longest running preschool programs in Austin? The beginning dates back to the early 70’s. Over the years, the program has maintained it’s unique qualities while adding new and exciting areas. Without a doubt, Palaestra will prepare your children for their Kindergarten experience. Palaestra’s success is partly due to the program’s flexibility in meeting the changing needs of the community. Rooms are large large, providing more comfortable playing and teaching areas. A computer lab has proved to be a great addition to enhance our existing academics program. Your child will be well prepared academically, socially and physically. A winning combination.
Crenshaws is located in Northwest Austin off of Balcones Drive. This state of the art training facility is home for many different activities for children and adults. The indoor heated pool was built with teaching in mind. The shallow end is a mere 18 inches deep. The 12,000 square foot gymnasium is equipped with both full size and scaled down gymnastic apparatus. All of the trampolines are ground level in ensure the utmost in trampoline safety. There is a special arts & crafts room, computer lab academic area and a special room for creative play.
Hours
School Year Palaestra for Preschoolers operates from 7:30a.m. until 12:00 noon, Monday through Friday. Morning rotations begin shortly after 8:45 a.m. For those registered in Lunch Bunch, the hours are extended to 2:30 p.m. daily. The program meets either Tuesday/Thursday, Monday/Wednesday/Friday or Monday through Friday.Ages
The Palaestra program allows children to attend who are ages three through five. Children must be toilet trained and have the ability to use the restroom by themselves. Staffing does not allow for this training. Holidays Palaestra generally starts one week after children start back to school in the Fall. AISD C-days are observed and the children will not attend Palaestra on these days. If you do not have a child attending an AISD school, an AISD calendar will be provided. Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the day following, two weeks at Christmas, Spring Break and Good Friday are all observed. Tuition is based on the entire year taking into account the holidays. Therefore, there is no pro-rating for the above mentioned holidays. Student-Teacher Ratio Three year old classes are limited to ten children for each teacher, while the four and five year olds may reach twelve. For swimming, an additional teacher is added which will reduce the ratio by half. During the summer program, a helper will be added to most of the groups to help give the children additional assistance. These extremely low ratios are just one of the reasons the program is so successful. Parent Visitation We welcome parents to come and observe anytime. Parents are asked to be aware if their presence is disrupting or distracting to the child. Parents are always asked to first check in with the office. Lunch Bunch During the school year, Crenshaws offers an extended "Lunch-Bunch" section of the Palaestra program that runs from 12:00 - 2:30 p.m., two, three or five days per week. The children in this program are divided into two groups depending on whether or not the children take a nap. The children bring their own lunch.Typical Schedule
| Event | Schedule |
| Early Drop-off | 7:30 a.m. |
| Regular Arrival | 8:30 - 8:45 a.m. |
| Swimming Instruction | 8:45 - 9:15 a.m. |
| Creative Play | 9:15 - 9:45 a.m. |
| Academics | 9:45 - 10:15 a.m. |
| Mid-morning Snack | 10:15 - 10:30 a.m. |
| Arts & Crafts | 10:30 - 11:00 a.m. |
| Gymnastics Instruction | 11:00 - 11:30 a.m. |
| Special Activities | 11:30 - 11:45 a.m. |
| Instruction Ends | 11:45 a.m. |
| Pick up children by: | 12:00 noon |
| Pick up Lunch Bunch children by: | 2:30 p.m. |
MONTHLY TUITION for Palaestra (2008-09 Prices - During the school year)
(There will be a tuition discount in September if you choose to use our ACH Debit program.)
| Days | Monthly Tuition | Lunch Bunch |
| Tuesday & Thursday | $230.00 | $60.00 |
| Monday, Wednesday & Friday | $305.00 | $90.00 |
| Monday through Friday | $375.00 | $140.00 |
We begin registration for Fall Palaestra on March 1st of each year. Summer Palaestra is VERY popular and will generally fill several months early. Registration for this part of the program will also begin on March 1. A $100 registration fee (per child per term) and a registration form is required to sign up for the school year program.
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Hours
During the summer, Palaestra is offered in a morning or afternoon program. Palaestra for Preschoolers operates only Monday through Friday in 3 short three week terms and 1 two week term. Below is a breakdown of the two programs.
| Morning Palaestra | Afternoon Palaestra | |
| Days per Week | Monday-Friday | Monday-Friday |
| Early Drop-off | 7:30 a.m. | 1:45 p.m. |
| Instruction Begins | 8:30 a.m. | 2:00 p.m. |
| Number of groups | 6 | 4 |
| *Ratio for youngest groups | 1-10 with a helper | 1-10 with helper |
| *Ratio for oldest groups | 1-12 | 1-12 |
| **Ages | 3 through Kindergarten | 3 1/2 through Kindergarten |
| Instruction Ends | 11:45 a.m. | 4:45 p.m. |
| Pick up children by: | 12:00 noon | 5:00 p.m. |
Typical Schedule
MORNING PALAESTRA ROTATIONS AFTERNOON PALAESTRA ROTATIONS
| Event | Morning Schedule | Event | Afternoon Schedule |
| Early Drop-off | 7:30 a.m. | ***Early Drop-off | 1:00 p.m. |
| Regular Arrival | 8:15 - 8:30 a.m. | Regular Arrival | 1:45 - 2:00 p.m. |
| Swimming Instruction | 8:30 - 9:00 a.m. | Swimming Instruction | 2:00 - 2:30 p.m. |
| Gymnastics One | 9:00 - 9:30 a.m. | Gymnastics Instruction | 2:30 - 3:00 p.m. |
| Story Time | 9:30 - 10:00 a.m. | Story Time | 3:00 - 3:30 p.m. |
| Arts & Crafts | 10:00 - 10:30 a.m. | Arts & Crafts | 3:30 - 4:00 p.m. |
| Mid-morning Snack | 10:30 - 10:45 a.m. | Snack | 4:00 - 4:15 p.m. |
| Creative Play | 10:45 - 11:15 a.m. | Creative Play | 4:15 - 4:45 p.m. |
| Gymnastics Two | 11:15 - 11:45 a.m. | Instruction Ends | 4:45 p.m. |
| Instruction Ends | 11:45 a.m. | Pick up children by: | 5:00 p.m. |
| Pick up children by: | 12:00 noon |
*** Early drop off is available for those children who have siblings in Afternoon Sport Camp.
Holidays
Summer Palaestra will observe Independence Day (July 4) as a holiday. There is no pro-rating for these holidays.
Parent Visitation
We welcome parents to come and observe anytime. Parents are asked to be aware if their presence is disrupting or distracting to the child. Parents are always asked to first check in with the office.Registration
Registration begins on March 1. A $100 (per child per term) deposit is due upon registration. This deposit fee is non-refundable and non-transferable. Crenshaws will send a reminder that the balance is due 15 days prior to the start of the program. Payment must be made by that date or your child's place in the program will be forfeited. An annual registration fee of $5 will be due for all children who have not been enrolled in Crenshaws since the previous September. This fee has been pro-rated.SUMMER TUITION for Palaestra (By the term- 2008 prices)
| Terms | Morning Palaestra | Afternoon Palaestra |
| Term 1, 2 & 3 (3 weeks) | $300.00 | $285.00 |
| Term 4 (2 weeks) | $200.00 | $190.00 |