Brandon Twp.- ‘Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.? ~Fred Rogers
On a recent afternoon, in Amanda Ingalls? preschool class at Harvey Swanson Elementary, some serious work and learning is underway while children play? with puppets, with blocks, and perhaps most importantly, with each other.
Smiles are in abundance, but the occasional conflict arises, too.
‘My money’s gone!? cries one little girl to Ingalls, who responds by asking the child what can be done, then suggesting they can talk to the classmate who has taken the play coins.
‘It’s important to get them socializing with other kids and building the blocks of their educational foundation,? said Ingalls. ‘A huge part of that is conflict resolution. If they both want a toy, there are problem-solving skills to be learned.?
Ingalls is in her first year as a full-time preschool teacher in Brandon. She did her student teaching here in 2012 in a Kindergarten classroom and graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education with a ZA endorsement for early childhood education. Now she spends her days with the district’s youngest learners, teaching numbers, letters, colors, shapes, and other basics? including feelings, and what a child can do when sad or angry.
All that children learn in preschool is essential to their future success and the district’s recognition of the importance of early childhood education has led to improvements in the Brandon Preschool Academy, set to take effect for the 2015-2016 school year.
Diane Zedan, director of early childhood programs, said the academy is being revamped to meet the needs of more people. Changes include expansion from four days a week to five, before and after care (from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.), and lower tuition rates? $15 for each half-day and $26 for a full-day. Parents can choose how many days their children will attend. Parents with children in the Great Start Readiness Program or Headstart, income-based preschools, can also choose to pay for a fifth day of preschool in the tuition-based academy and can also use the extended care. Additional changes include incentives for district employees like no registration fees and a pre-tax deduction option.
Children are eligible to be enrolled for preschool as soon as they turn 2-and-a-half-years-old, regardless of the month and Zedan strongly encourages parents to do so, based on research that shows significant benefits.
‘Children do so much better when in a structured preschool, as opposed to daycare or staying at home before kindergarten,? she said. ‘For three, six, or eight hours a day, they get language development, motor development, academics and socialization… They are learning all the skills to get them ready for kindergarten.?
Zedan notes that children come in the door at all different levels, but the curriculum is differentiated to meet the needs of each learner, challenging each of them and building on their skill sets.
‘We help them all get to where they need to be,? she said.
Up to 40 percent of children enter kindergarten without having had the benefit of preschool and Zedan said those lacking this early education are markedly behind their peers who have already spent time in the classroom.
‘They’re not ready socially, haven’t had the benefit of a routine and facilitating teachers,? she said. ‘They have to learn more quickly to catch up.?
Children who have had the benefit of preschool, Ingalls said, will be prepared for that first day of kindergarten.
‘They’re getting a jump start,? she said. ‘Instead of kindergarten being their first experience writing or using scissors, they get that here… They are learning independence and to be self-sufficent, too.?
For more information or to register your child for any of the Brandon preschool programs, call 248-627-1855.