History of Christ Gettysburg Preschool
Christ Lutheran Preschool has been a ministry of Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church for more than 50 years. The program began in the fall of 1958 as a kindergarten program when there was no public kindergarten in the Gettysburg Area School District. The first class had 19 students and the tuition was $18 per month – the amount determined necessary to make the school self-sustaining. Since it’s early days and upon the creation of public school kindergarten in Gettysburg in 1969, Christ Lutheran’s program transitioned to a nursery school program, known as Christ Lutheran Nursery School, and later to it’s current name of Christ Lutheran Preschool.
The largest enrollment was during the 1968-1969 school year when 90 children attended either morning or afternoon sessions that were led by three teachers. The current enrollment is 34 children ages 3 – 5 years old who participate in either a two-mornings per week preschool program or a three-mornings per week pre-kindergarten program. The current teacher, Mrs. Lori (Myers) Stone has been with the preschool since 1994.
Throughout the years, the preschool children have taken field trips to the public library, the post office, the fire department, Gettysburg College’s planetarium, apple orchards, and even to the YWCA in the 1980’s for swim lessons. The most interesting field trip, perhaps, was taken when Mary Jean Eisenhower, the granddaughter of President and Mrs. Eisenhower, invited the whole class to help celebrate her 5th birthday at the White House. Thirty-three children, the teacher, an assistant, and two parents all took a bus trip to Washington, D.C., where the partygoers enjoyed hamburgers served on silver trays, a tour of the White House, and a visit from President and Mrs. Eisenhower.
Providing a quality preschool education with a spiritual dimension will continue to be the central goal of our preschool for the years ahead. We look forward to providing this for the members of Christ Lutheran Church and for the community of Gettysburg for many years to come.