General Questions
What are the hours of the school?
Cornerstone is year-round center that offers care between the hours of 7:30 am – 5:30 pm.
Do you offer both part time and full time schedule options?
We offer a wide variety of scheduling options: two days (must include a Monday or a Friday), three days (must include a Monday or a Friday), four days, and five days a week. We also give parents the choice of choosing a part-time or a full-time schedule. Our scheduling hours are:
- 7:30 am – 3 pm
- 7:30 am – 5:30 pm
- 9 am – 3 pm
- 9 am – 5:30 pm
Parents can also purchase an extra day or add a block of time (7:30 am – 9 am or 3 pm – 5:30 pm) if needed.
*Please note that our Pre-Kindergarten program does not offer a 2 day option. To attend this program, there is a minimum of 3 days per week required.
What is your philosophy?
Cornerstone is Christian child care center and preschool designed to support and nurture families and young children. We are play-based and believe that children learn best through hands on exploration of the world around them. Our school is child-centered and teacher-supported where play is used to master the fundamental skills and concepts needed for later school experiences. Play supports all areas of development, and our teachers are responsive facilitators who help to enhance and expand each child’s own learning experience.
What is your policy on discipline?
Our role is not to punish children, but rather to provide clear, consistent limits and to teach children how to play constructively within those guidelines. At Cornerstone we use redirection to deal with behavioral issues. Teachers offer the children choices and follow through with what is expected with the choice the child has made. Children are set up to be successful by the teachers providing clear expectations on what behavior is acceptable and what behavior is not. Discipline (which is really teaching) is based upon an understanding of individual needs and appropriate behavior of children at varying developmental levels.
Children who may need a little extra help will often spend some one-on-one time with a teacher where they work together to problem solve to turn around the behavior. If children need to withdraw from a challenging situation in order to calm down, we have many areas within and outside the classroom so they can have private time to regroup.
Enrollment Questions
Do you give tours of the school?
Tours are scheduled on various weekdays each month so that we can do our best to accommodate the needs of each family. Tours are typically at 9:30 am to allow for families to get the complete view of the school, but we do our best to find a time that accommodates the needs of parents. Parents are welcome to bring their children and a tour usually takes 30 – 45 minutes, depending on the group size. If you have questions about scheduling a tour, please email cornerstone@fpcberkeley.org or call (510) 848-6252 ext. 226.
How much is tuition?
A current copy of our tuition schedule can be viewed on our Contact page.
How do I apply?
Applications are available to download on our Contact page and can be submitted by mail, dropped off at the school, or submitted via email to cornerstone@fpcberkeley.org.
There is a $150.00 nonrefundable application fee per child that must be received before an application will be considered.
Do you need to be a member of First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley or Christian to attend?
Cornerstone Children’s Center is a state-licensed infant/toddler childcare and preschool ministry that serves and nurtures community families. Although there is a Christian emphasis, families are not required to be members of First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley or to hold similar religious beliefs to attend Cornerstone. The spiritual aspect of our programing is just one of the many wonderful experiences that the children encounter at Cornerstone. Our teachers share basic Christian ideas of love, caring for others, reconciliation and service through example, conversation, problem solving, songs and developmentally appropriate Bible stories with the children while in our care.