Preschoolers get a good start

We all hope to have bright kids, and starting them off right is a step in that direction. Now Sisters Country parents can take preschoolers to Bright Kids at 202 E. Fir St. for an early interactive and creative learning environment that will prepare them for kindergarten and beyond.

Owner/teacher Alicia Chatila has nine years of teaching experience and is certified in phonics training. Previously she managed a learning center with 90 children, then opened her own center with over 200 children ages 6 and under.

When Chatila moved to Sisters four months ago, she quickly found out there was a lack of childcare options. She had previously home-schooled her own kids, first- and fourth-graders, and decided she wanted a place where they could socialize as well as learn by doing fun, interactive, hands-on activities, and Bright Kids was born.

The two activity rooms are bright and colorful with lots of fun pictures on the walls. You won't find a TV or a computer among the seven learning centers where children can participate in music with instruments, arts & crafts, sensory skills, active play, imaginative play, numbers and shapes, language and story time, and other projects that inspire creativity and foster learning through play.

All activities are open-ended and child-led, based on what each child wants to do rather than leading them. She also plans monthly themes, such as "under the sea" and "in the jungle," and will build interactive learning activities around them. "The most important thing," she said, "is learning through play."

Chatila's plans include offering the space for birthday parties with crafts or themes like Frozen or Spiderman; a chef's cooking class using all-natural ingredients for ages 5 through 8 in the afternoons; phonics classes for ages 3 to 6; and during spring break will have a bouncy-house and other activities outside the center. She is also working on a reading program with Sisters Community Librarian Paige Bentley-Flannery.

Bright Kids is in the little green building at 202 E. Fir St. It's open seven days a week from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. on weekdays for early learners up to age 6, on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for ages 7 and younger.

For more information, visit http://www.brightkids

play.com or call 541-549-2223. "Like" Bright Kids at www.Facebook.com/brightkidsplay. Donations of age-appropriate books, toys and costumes are always appreciated.