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The Daily Jeff
Cambridge pre-school preparing students for success
Oct 13, 2019
Our babies’ “firsts” are always so bittersweet. We beg our children to
please stand still and smile for “one more picture” as we try to
capture the images that are etched in our minds. Our hearts swell with
pride as we watch our children embark upon new journeys like starting
school. Then, our eyes fill with tears as we watch them walk away and
we worry.
Will they be safe? Will they make friends? Will they miss us? We read
social media and hear outrageous news reports about Common Core math,
Third Grade Reading Guarantee, bullying, students being retained and
all a parent’s worst nightmares.
Your child is also stressed, worrying about the teacher, potential
friends, finding the classroom, where to sit at lunch and catching the
right bus home at the end of the day. My children and I experienced all
these worries and I empathize with those parents and students.
The good news is Cambridge Schools opened their own pre-school last
year in order to prepare pre-kindergarten children in our district for
their educational journeys through our school system. It is important
they are ready for Kindergarten and are successful early in their
school careers. We know that early success will likely lead to
continued success.
“We’re not pounding academics in pre-school,” Pre-school Director
Natalie Buchanan told me. “We are focused on the socialization children
have with other students and a lot of self-regulation.”
The goal of our pre-school is to teach these young children the basic
skills they will need to be successful when they start kindergarten and
familiarize them with how school functions.
A school environment is different than the home environment. Students
need to learn to be away from mom and dad, to be part of a structured
environment where there are more demands put on them to participate in
structured activities. They learn basics like not running in the
hallways, staying in a classroom and how to maneuver social
interactions like sharing and playing with other children.
Three goals Buchanan and our pre-school teachers have for their students are for them to:
‒ Know the difference between “choices we want to see more of, and choices we want to see less of.”
‒ Love reading and get excited about books.
‒ Develop good connections with their peers.
Are these not skills children are taught in kindergarten?
Yes, they are taught in kindergarten, but early intervention is better.
The sooner supports are put in place for children and families, the
better chance of success. Pre-School provides children with more of a
foundation to be successful as they move through Cambridge Schools.
An early learning assessment is given several times per school year with a progress update provided to the parents.
“The amount of growth we see at pre-school is incredible,” Buchanan
shared. “The things that they soak in, even when you think they are not
paying attention, is huge.”
While only early in its second year, the pre-school is already making
an impact, at least according to anecdotal reports from Kindergarten
teachers at the Primary School. The district will soon be crunching
assessment results to see if the data supports the success stories.
Another reason students are successful when they get to Kindergarten is
familiarity with the curriculum. The curriculum used at the Pre-School
is the same curriculum that is used at the Primary School. We know what
they are going into, so we try at an early level to make sure we are
meeting their needs and designing a curriculum that flows into Primary
School.
Buchanan and other teachers at the Pre-School also reached out to other
pre-schools in the community to collaborate on curriculum and provide
itinerant services.
Buchanan has applied to Ohio Department of Education’s Early Childhood
Education office for a 5-Star Step Up to Quality rating, the highest
that can be earned from the state. The Step Up to Quality rating is
based on how well a pre-school utilizes curriculum, connects to the
community, connects to families and educates the “whole” child.
The Pre-school, located in the Garfield Administrative building,
currently consists of three classrooms and approximately 65 students
ages three through five, but maintains approximately 80 spots including
30 grant-based spots that are funded by the Ohio Department of
Education’s Early Childhood Education grant. There are currently
openings for children who meet the age and federal income requirements.
Some spots are reserved for students with special needs and those in an
early intervention program. Other spots are open on a pay for service
basis with a sliding scale based on income which could cost a family
between $25 and $180 per month.
A free breakfast, lunch and snack are provided during the school day.
Some students, usually the younger ones, attend Pre-School two days per
week with the older children attending up to three days a week. The
school day lasts from 7:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Transportation is not
provided by the district.
I believe our overall success educating students can be improved if we
can continue to grow our Pre-School. It is one of the many reasons we
need more state and federal funding put into early intervention at the
pre-school level. Additional funding means we can open more spots and
provide transportation.
Providing transportation and opening more spots in our pre-school can
have a positive impact on the success of our district, but more
importantly, we could positively impact more children and families.
And maybe we can even take away some of those worries that cause
parents and children sleepless nights as they head to elementary school.
For more information about our pre-school, call 740-439-5021.
Do you have questions? Are there specific topics that you would like to
see addressed? You are encouraged to share your ideas, concerns, and
your praise of our school district: amydkissinger@gmail.com
Amy Kissinger is a member of the Cambridge City School District Board
of Education. The views expressed in this column do not necessarily
reflect those of the entire Cambridge City Schools Board of Education
or of other members of the board, only those of the author.
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