Edgewater Preschool

Our philosophy is based on the belief that children learn best when exposed to a challenging environment that offers a variety of meaningful hands-on activities and experiences. We believe that preschool children should be allowed to explore their surroundings in order to develop a good sense of problem solving and decision-making. The preschool curriculum, arrangement of furniture and space reflect the interests and needs of the children enrolled in our childcare center. It is very important to meet the basic needs of children such as, safety, nourishment and rest for them to be able to achieve proper levels of development. We strive to challenge children's creativity and to be aware and respectful of their emotional needs and to support and facilitate their social development by providing opportunities for children to build positive self-esteem. We welcome and respect the diversity of cultures and encourage every member of our preschool to share their culture with us. We are facilitators of children's development fostering their social, emotional, physical and cognitive development for life long learning. Edgewater Preschool is a family-run business, owned and operated by Alan and Cristiane Foster ( Husband and wife ) and their wonderful staff. The couple has two daughters who have attended Edgewater, their girls ( with the help of school parents and staff ) have assisted Alan and Cristiane to maintain the focus on their mission of providing a quality program. Their interest in acquiring the school spawns from Cristiane's 15-year history in teaching. Cristiane who is the Administrative Multi-Site Director of their schools has been in the field of teaching for over 20 years, 18 years being in early childhood education. She has earned her BA in Physical Education, and an AA in Early Childhood Education. Cristiane is now in the Master's Program in Education with Emphasis in Early Childhood at CSULB and plans to continue her schooling in order to acquire a Doctorate Degree in this field. Alan, who is a retired BMX racer and now works part time in the bicycle industry, shares his wife's passion for teaching young children and has learned the importance of providing a quality environment for children and their families. Alan serves as the bookkeeper, IT supporter, marketing manager and the fix-it guy for both of their schools. School History In the 70's this area was being developed by the Whaley family. This school was built so a grandchild could have a preschool in the area to attend, the building was built with the intention of being a preschool with all classrooms facing the outside yard. Over the last 40 years the school has gone through a few owners and the name has been Los Altos Preschool and Woods-Edgewater Preschool that we know of, the two children sitting logo was hand drawn by one of the parents in the early years. Alan and Cristiane purchased the school from Betty Woods when she retired in Dec. 2001 and have had a blast being owners ever since. Edgewater Preschool - 5270 Atherton St. Long Beach, CA 90815 Beach - Phone ( 562 ) 597-5913 Fax ( 562 ) 597-6499 Log in