First United Methodist Preschool

Our program: FUMC offers weekday early education classes during the school year (September-May) for toddlers through pre-k aged children. All classes meet from 9:00 am-1:00 pm. Children are placed in a class based on their age on September 1 of the year of enrollment. Our program is thoughtfully designed to encourage the physical, social, mental, and spiritual development of young children. We implement the HighScope Curriculum (www.highscope.org) in our classrooms, which is a research-validated approach that provides an active participatory learning experience essential for developing school readiness skills. The HighScope methodology fosters independence, curiosity, decision-making, cooperation, creativity, persistence, and problem-solving among young children. Additionally, Christian principles are integrated into daily interactions among both children and adults.

CLICK HERE FOR 2025-2026 Enrollment Information

Please contact Lindsay Kinsinger at 785-776-7030 with questions, or to schedule a tour.

Our Philosophy

We believe that learning occurs when:
•Children are provided with love, acceptance, and respect
•Teacher/child ratios are low
•Environments are centered around the needs of children
•Children are comfortable and afforded the freedom to:
engage in experiences
explore and discover
interact with their peers
express themselves
develop independence
make choices

Our Classes

PRESCHOOL CLASSES
Classes are offered for children ages 3-5 years.

Two-day classes for 3 year olds meet Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday.
Three-day classes for 3-5 year olds meet Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday.
Four-day classes for 3-5 year olds meet Monday-Thursday.

CHILDREN'S DAY OUT
Classes are offered for children ages 18-36 months.

Two-day classes meet Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday.
Four-day classes meet Monday-Thursday.

Tours

If you’d like to learn more, we invite you to visit us and see what a high-quality early childhood program looks like in action! We schedule tours when school is in session. It is important that you see us in action! Appointments can be made for summer tours as well. For security reasons, tours are only given by appointment.
Tours are available during our hours of operation Monday through Thursday between 9:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

On the Day of Your Tour
Preschool and CDO tours enter the building from the parking lot (off of Humboldt St) on the west side of the building.
There will be a volunteer at the welcome desk who can contact the preschool administration. If the desk is not staffed, proceed to the Education Center doors and use the phone to reach the preschool office.
Contact us today to book your tour!

Book a Tour

Testimonials

"FUMC Preschool has offered my children the perfect balance of education, fun, and personal growth development, with Christian values at heart. As a parent, I leave the drop off line knowing my child will be loved, cared for, engaged, and challenged each day. FUMC Preschool has made Manhattan feel like home, and we can't thank the staff, or recommend it enough!"

"FUMC Preschool has been a perfect fit for our grandson. He loves it! The schedule, curriculum, teachers and management have been everything we hoped for. We love to look at the photos posted at the end of the day together and discuss what he learned."

"We had no idea what to expect when starting our son in the FUMC preschool/CDO program, but our expectations have been blown out of the water! We are now in our 3rd year into the program and both of my boys now attend! We have had nothing but the best experiences with the teachers at FUMC. We are so thankful!"