Preschools seek enrollees at Mommy & Me West event

jan hogan/VIewFace painter Angie Eighmy turns Nolan, 4, into a pirate during Mommy & Me West?s 12th annual preschool expo at the Veterans Memorial Leisure Services Center, 101 N. Pavilion Center Drive, Jan. 19. The event brought in more than 20 area preschools. Advertisement

The rainy night didn't deter parents from coming out for the Mommy & Me West 12th annual preschool expo on Jan. 19.

The event, held at the city of Las Vegas' Veterans Memorial Leisure Services Center, 101 N. Pavilion Center Drive, brought together more than 20 preschools.

"I remember how much work it took to find a preschool for my own daughter," said Falana White, expo organizer and vice president. "This event cuts down on a lot of the initial legwork for parents."

White said the timing of the expo was intentional, as preschools were about to open their enrollment.

Mommy & Me West is an independent, nonprofit, volunteer organization for the development of young children from birth through the completion of kindergarten. It serves families in the greater Las Vegas area, including Henderson and North Las Vegas.

Umbrellas dripped in the corner as attendees perused the tables covered in red, white and blue sheets. Laptops showed displays of each participant's highlights.

Jaime Jamison, president of Mommy & Me West, said members expressed that they wanted a preschool close to home and structured to make learning fun.

"And some just want their kids to get used to other adults before they headed off to kindergarten," she said.

Faith Lutheran had a corner spot and lured people closer with a bowl full of chocolates. It was the preschool's third year of participating in the Mommy & Me event.

Donita Murphy, director of Faith Lutheran Preschool, 2700 S. Town Center Drive, said an estimated 70 percent of the preschool's parents will apply for Faith Lutheran's kindergarten, but their children can't always get in, as there usually are not enough openings.

"But those who've been in our preschool do get priority," she said.

Heather Thompson represented Challenger Schools. That table display included paintings by students, including a realistic one of a warthog by a child who probably knows every word of "Hakuna Matata" from "The Lion King."

"Pretty good, huh?" Thompson said. "She was 4 when she made that."

Anne Tanaka braved the rain to be there. She has two children, ages 2 and 7. The elder had been in Mommy & Me as a toddler and also was in preschool.

"This refreshes my memory on what's available," she said as she strolled the multipurpose room.

The Kim family was there to check out schools, as well.

"We're looking to put him in a preschool for a partial day," said Matthew Kim, who, along with his wife, brought their 3-year-old son Joshua. "We'll see how he likes it."

Meg Kawash's children are ages 3 and 16 months. She was looking for new developmental opportunities for her children.

Hallie R., and her son Nolan, 4, wandered the aisles together after he became a pirate, compliments of a face painter.

As one of the benefits of a child in preschool means more free time for mom, the Summerlin mother said she might get back into scrapbooking, using all the pictures taken since Nolan was born.

Not all the representatives were from preschools. Fairytales & Tutus, which has locations at 7071 W. Craig Road, No. 104, and at 7260 S. Cimarron Road inside Child's Play, was on hand with samples of its costumes and a display with princess headdresses. The dance studio uses well-known children's tales and has children act them out.

"This is a wonderful chance to talk with people face to face," said Alene Hochstetter, owner/operator. "People will come to sign up at one of our locations and say, 'I saw you at the Mommy and Me night.' It's great advertising."

Angela Best, owner/operator of Mom-Tography, said the event brought her the exact target market she was looking for. A past member of Mommy & Me, she drew inspiration from seeing the group's activities to begin her business. She photographs children at events such as birthday parties and makes video slideshows to commemorate them. She said she learned how to make the video slides and composes them herself, unless she runs into a hiccup with the software.

"Luckily, my husband works in computers, so where I fall short, he picks up," she said.

The Mommy & Me group numbers 137 members, the majority of whom have more than one child. Those children range in age from birth to 5.

Last year, the preschool expo was opened up to the general public for the first time. It was advertised through the Mommy & Me Web site at www.mommyandmewest.org, blogs and e-mails.

White said the slumping economy played a factor in the event.

"The pricier schools are reluctant to even show up," she said.

Contact Summerlin View and South Summerlin View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 387-2949.