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Programs and our approach

Four stops on the way to Kindergarten.

From first words to first sentences, Train Station meets children where they are and walks with them toward Kindergarten, through the academic year and a summer enrichment program. Here is what the journey looks like, stop by stop.

18 months to Young Fives Mon to Fri, 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM 2, 3, 4 or 5 days a week Academic year and summer
Two toddlers stack colourful ring towers on a classroom rug
A toddler reaches up to place felt letters on a blue alphabet board while a teacher watches
A girl in a red plaid pinafore works quietly at a table
Our approach

The whole child, on purpose.

Train Station was founded in 2001 to give children a safe, wholesome and friendly place where children learn basic pre-kindergarten skills through a Christ-centered curriculum. Twenty-five years later, that is still the job: spiritual, academic, physical, social, emotional, cognitive and creative growth, all at once, all through the day.

  1. 01

    Faith is woven through the week.

    Bible lessons, prayer and songs belong to the ordinary rhythm of the week, in every classroom.

  2. 02

    Play is how young children learn.

    Sensory tables, blocks, dress-up, the play kitchen and the playground are part of the curriculum.

  3. 03

    Ready for Kindergarten, at a child’s pace.

    Children are taught in small groups by age and ability, and leave having been taught the basics of reading, writing and math.

  4. 04

    Every child is known.

    An average of one staff member for every eight children, and lead teachers who hold a certificate or degree in education or child development.

  5. 05

    Hands on, every day.

    A daily art program developed by our own teachers, music and movement, physical education and hands-on learning, and summer enrichment from June to August.

Programs at a glance

Programs by age

ClassAgesInstructionDays per weekPotty training
Toddlers TOD18 months to 2½ years9:00 AM to 3:00 PM2, 3, 4 or 5 full daysNot required
Little Preschool PS30 to 38 months9:00 AM to 3:00 PM2, 3, 4 or 5 daysRequired
Preschool Plus PS+37 to 46 months9:00 AM to 3:00 PM2, 3, 4 or 5 daysRequired
Pre-Kindergarten PK44 to 54 months8:00 AM to 3:00 PM3, 4 or 5 daysRequired
Young Fives PK+53 months and up8:00 AM to 3:00 PM3, 4 or 5 daysRequired

The codes are the ones used on the fee schedule. Placement is decided with you, looking at your child’s age and developmental readiness, academic and learning maturity, social-emotional development, independence and self-help skills, how comfortably they take part in a classroom, teacher observations and recommendations, and your family’s goals, including when you expect your child to begin Kindergarten. Children can usually start at any point in the year if there is space; for Young Fives, a child enrolling after January is assessed first.

From 18 months to 2½ yearsFull days2 to 5 days a week

Toddlers

Toddlers start gently, settling into simple routines with teachers who know that a good morning starts with a good goodbye.

A toddler sits on a bright blue soft couch holding a picture book
Two toddlers explore cloth books in a blue soft-play corner, seen from above
A mother holds her toddler while chatting with a teacher in a room with sky-blue cloud walls

Days are built around language, songs and sensory play, with routines like hanging up a coat and finding your own cubby. Toddlers attend full days, two to five days a week.

  • Language and first words, all day long
  • Songs, stories and action rhymes
  • Sensory play and small-hand skills like stacking and scribbling
  • First friendships, sharing and simple routines
  • Room to move: rugs, balance beams and the playground
Ages
18 months to 2½
Instruction
9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Schedule
Two-day minimum, full days
Rest
Nap 12:00 to 2:30 PM
Potty training
Not required
30 to 46 months9:00 AM to 3:00 PM2 to 5 days a week

Preschool

Two classes, Little Preschool and Preschool Plus, where learning through play grows into first letters and sounds.

Two girls lean in close to play with a purple dollhouse
A toddler plays at a glowing light table
Seen from above, a girl on the floor arranges play food on a tray

Little Preschool (PS) is for children from 30 to 38 months, and Preschool Plus (PS+) follows, for 37 to 46 months. Both are for potty-trained children, and both follow the BJU Press Pathways to Preschool curriculum. Shapes, colors, numbers and Bible stories come through music, art and simple hands-on activities, circle time introduces letters and sounds in small groups, and there is plenty of room to move.

  • Shapes, colors, numbers and letters through play
  • Bible stories and songs
  • Circle time in small groups by age and ability
  • Daily art, plus music and movement
  • Playground, dress-up and the play kitchen
Ages
Little Preschool 30 to 38 months, Preschool Plus 37 to 46 months
Instruction
9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Schedule
Two-day minimum
Rest
Nap 12:00 to 2:30 PM
Curriculum
BJU Press, Pathways to Preschool
Potty training
Required
44 to 54 months8:00 AM to 3:00 PMThree-day minimum

Pre-Kindergarten

The academic heart of Train Station: early reading, math readiness and a growing confidence in who they are.

A girl in a red plaid pinafore holds a pencil and concentrates on a puzzle board
A preschooler paints with a brush at a table
A girl with a red bow writes carefully at a table

Pre-Kindergarten (PK) follows the BJU Press Footsteps for Fours curriculum, which prepares children for Kindergarten through active, hands-on learning. Circle time builds toward reading with letters and sounds, then handwriting and early math. Bible lessons run through the whole curriculum, and music and movement, daily art, physical education and gross motor time round out the week.

  • Early reading and handwriting: letters, sounds and first words
  • Early math: numbers, patterns and shapes
  • Bible lessons woven through the curriculum
  • Music and movement, daily art, physical education and active play
  • Three-day minimum, with the day starting at 8:00 AM
Ages
44 to 54 months, potty trained
Instruction
8:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Schedule
Three-day minimum
Curriculum
BJU Press, Footsteps for Fours
Rest
Quiet time 12:00 to 12:30 PM, nap optional
53 months and up8:00 AM to 3:00 PMThree-day minimum

Young Fives

For children who miss the Kindergarten cutoff date, and for families who want one more year built around how young children learn best.

A teacher with a clipboard sits on a bench while her class sits on an alphabet rug, one girl grinning at the camera
A girl on a blue rug looks up in wonder
Children sit on a rug in profile, a boy smiling at a friend

Young Fives is the PK+ class on the fee schedule. It is designed for children who miss the Kindergarten cutoff date, and for families who see the benefit of an additional year in a classroom built around play, movement, hands-on experiences, exploration and active learning. Like Pre-K it uses a BJU Press curriculum that prepares children for Kindergarten: Focus on Fives has a somewhat stronger academic focus than Footsteps for Fours, while still placing more emphasis on active, hands-on learning than a traditional Kindergarten classroom. Children build academic skills and Kindergarten readiness in a way that is developmentally appropriate for young children. A child who wants to join Young Fives after January is assessed first.

Ages
53 months and up, potty trained
Instruction
8:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Schedule
Three-day minimum
Curriculum
BJU Press, Focus on Fives
Rest
Quiet time 12:00 to 12:30 PM, nap optional
Next stop

Kindergarten.

Every program here builds toward a confident first day of Kindergarten. Novi Christian Academy, the K-12 school Brightmoor operates on the same campus, is one natural next chapter for families who want to continue in Christian education.

How we get children ready Novi Christian Academy
  1. The Train Station Preschool 18 months to Young Fives
  2. Kindergarten the next chapter
  3. Novi Christian Academy Kindergarten to grade 12, same campus
A day at Train Station

What fills the day.

Every classroom has its own version of these moments across the week, tuned to the age of the children in it.

  1. 01Children sit in a circle on a blue rug while a teacher leads from an armchair

    Bible and prayer time

    Prayer, sharing and brief Bible lessons.

  2. 02A boy on the rug smiles at a classmate during circle time

    Circle time

    Colors, numbers, letters, sounds, opposites and rhyming words in small groups.

  3. 03A teacher holds up a colorful chart and smiles at her class

    Music and movement

    New songs, stories, action rhymes and room to move.

  4. 04Seen from above, a girl draws on a blue magnetic board at a round table

    Academics

    Letters and sounds, early reading, handwriting and early math in Preschool, Pre-K and Young Fives.

  5. 05A preschooler paints at a table with green paint cups

    Arts and crafts

    A daily art program developed by Train Station teachers.

  6. 06A line of preschoolers walks down the hallway toward the camera

    Physical education and active play

    Gym time, playgrounds, balance beams, dress-up and the play kitchen.

  7. 07Two young children at a yellow table during snack

    Snack time

    A morning and an afternoon snack, provided by the school.

  8. 08A teacher and two boys look over boxes of decorated donuts for a party

    Special days

    Guest speakers, singers, parties and games, now and then.

Hours and schedules

Built around a working family’s week.

Choose two, three, four or five days a week depending on your child’s program, with up to nine consecutive hours a day included in tuition.

Tuition, fees and vacation credits are on the Tuition and Fees page. Families provide a consistent drop-off and pick-up time so the school can staff to Michigan licensing requirements.

Tuition and fees School calendar
Hours and schedule2026 to 2027
OpenMonday to Friday, 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Instruction8:00 AM to 3:00 PM Pre-K and Young Fives
9:00 AM to 3:00 PM Toddlers, Little Preschool and Preschool Plus
RestNap 12:00 to 2:30 PM quiet time 12:00 to 12:30 PM in Pre-K and Young Fives, nap optional
After care3:00 PM to pick-up gym or playground time, then free play in the combined classroom
AttendanceUp to 9 consecutive hours a day included in tuition
Schedules2, 3, 4 or 5 days a week two-day minimum for Toddlers and Preschool, three-day minimum for Pre-K and Young Fives
Academic yearSeptember to May
SummerJune to August summer enrichment program, separate registration
SnacksMorning and afternoon, provided
Drop-off and pick-upConsistent times, set by each family
A teacher reads to her class from a chair at the front while the children sit on the rug
A teacher at a low table holds up a picture for children sitting in red chairs
Faith and curriculum

Christ-centered, cover to cover.

Every class works from the BJU Press early childhood curriculum, a Christian worldview-based program: Pathways to Preschool for the preschool classes, then Footsteps for Fours in Pre-K and Focus on Fives in Young Fives, built to prepare children for Kindergarten through active, hands-on learning. Children leave having been taught the basics of reading, writing and math, all from an unapologetically biblical worldview.

Discipline is positive and consistent. Teachers model the behavior they hope to see, speak calmly, explain what is not acceptable, and redirect children toward better choices, with self-control, self-direction, cooperation and respect for God’s Word as the goal.

“Train up a child in the way he should go.”

Proverbs 22:6
Prepared for success

What a Train Station child carries into Kindergarten.

A Train Station education helps children develop the emotional, social and cognitive skills they need to become lifelong learners. In practical terms, that looks like this.

  • The basics of reading: letters, sounds and first words
  • Writing and math foundations
  • Colors, numbers, letters, sounds, opposites and rhymes
  • Social skills: sharing, listening and playing with others
  • Self-control, cooperation and respect
  • A biblical worldview and a love of learning
A parent and a small girl in a lavender coat look at each other in the long school hallway, a blue carpet path leading aheadThe hallway at arrival time
See it for yourself

Come and see it in person.

Tours are by appointment on school days, at times that vary with the director’s schedule; the booking page shows what is open. Bring your child, meet the teachers and see the classroom your child would be in.

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