About Us
Nicole Settle, son Nicholas, 2 years old
In a nutshell, the idea arose because I wanted to know how to prepare Nicholas for preschool. (It was so premature then, but, I think I was already feeling the preschool pressure in Chicago!) More or less, I wanted to understand what things he should know at his age. Then, when all of the recalls started with toys, I knew I had to do something. Even with my background from Michigan State University in Early Child Development/ Teaching, I was unsure what the standards were today. Should he be able to read? Write? I had no idea. So, when talking with a teacher friend, we went through some age appropriate activities and discussed relevant supplies. If anything, I wanted to create at least one "kit" that I could use with Nicholas.
I then had a couple friends with kids who were complaining about buying "crafty" things, like markers, paint, etc., and not knowing what exactly to do with them. I knew the backpack would help them too - so the Preschool Pack™ was born after about 10 months of research, blood, sweat and tears. Well, maybe not so much the blood or tears, but definitely sweat! It was a labor of love, and I truly enjoyed creating it with my friend Jay, a teacher in Chicago and fellow mommy.
Included in the Preschool Pack™ is an activity book with fun, unique things to do with over 15 different supplies in the backpack. Also included is a book list and a list that explains what your child should know when between 3-4 and 4-5 years old. It has a lot of good information for preschool parents, and just wonderful ideas to prepare you for the years ahead. Everything is nicely packaged in a cute, child-size backpack, making it a great way to keep it all organized in your home.
I hope you enjoy our backpack with your child. I know Nicholas and I love it - and I have learned a lot about Nicholas and how his little brain works in the process. It's been really interesting and fun to connect with him this way since I don't get to sit with him all day in his "pre-preschool"setting.
Jay Annadurai, daughter Leela, 14 months
What I remember most about creating this backpack is the sense of excitement I had when first discussing the idea with Niki. Though I loved staying home with my daughter, I couldn’t help but miss teaching. I loved witnessing a child’s excitement when discovering something new and their pride when accomplishing a task on their own. I also missed interacting with parents. As a mom and teacher, I know that parental involvement is the first step in a child’s success. Most parents truly wanted to help their child, but just didn’t know how to start. My sister would always ask me if there were any simple educational activities she could do at home with my young nephews. She was tired of running all around town buying markers, rulers, and flashcards and then being unsure of what to do with them. I realized that there must be hundreds of moms out there with the same questions.
Creating the Preschool Pack™ seemed like such a logical answer to help all the moms I knew. What better way to help parents than to put everything they need together in one easy to use kit? Niki and I carefully covered all the bases when researching the backpack and deciding what to include in it. We knew we were creating something truly important, not just another gimmicky “educational” toy that winds up forgotten in the toy chest. My Masters in Education from Ohio State coupled with my experiences as a teacher and mom helped me come up with ideas for our activity book. Each activity explains to parents exactly how they are helping their child’s development. Not only are the activities simple and fun, they also teach children important basic skills and concepts. Most importantly, kids love doing them!
I’m so proud of our Preschool Pack™ and have enjoyed sharing it with other moms. I know that you and the special children in your life will love our backpacks as much as we loved creating them!