Pre-schools booming in Diocese

With recent national and state reports citing the positive impact of preschool education on children's later success in learning, many public school educators are beginning to look at establishing universal preschool programs -- something Catholic schools have been offering for years.

The Carnegie Corporation's "Years of Promise: A Comprehensive Learning Strategy for America's Children" reports that a preschool education can be crucial to later learning success. The report states that preschools with appropriately trained staff and a high-quality curriculum can promote cognitive, social and emotional development in young children.

Also, New York's Educational Excellence Project found that children attending the state's pre-kindergarten programs are less likely to need special education or be held back by the end of third grade.

Necessary step

Once an option like kindergarten programs in their early days, preschool is now becoming a necessity, said Mary Going, an early childhood educator at St. Mary's Institute in Amsterdam.

"If you skip pre-kindergarten or kindergarten, you'll have a tough time acclimating to school," she explained. "Unless a parent is on top of things at home, it can be really difficult."

She explained that preschool is the first time that many of the children are exposed to a large group of their peers. They learn to play, interact and work in this larger group, which is important for their transition to kindergarten.

Socialization

Her colleague, Diane Thompson, who established the early childhood program at St. Mary's, agreed that socialization plays a key role in a preschool program.

"Our primary purpose is to help children learn to socialize with their peers," she told The Evangelist. "We teach them how to develop as a Christian, and they learn how to function in a semi-structured environment."

Among other lessons, students learn how to share, sit at a table, line up, use scissors and glue, and recognize their name when it is written.

Developing

According to Bernadette Kaufman, an early childhood education consultant for the diocesan Catholic School Office, children attending preschool should develop self-confidence, enthusiasm for school, basic math concepts, use of more descriptive language, and improved fine motor control.

To get that for their child, she said, parents should look for a teacher who has a multisensory approach to learning and an understanding of how children learn. "Teachers need to be educated in the field," she explained. "This is a specific area of specialty.

"In an early childhood classroom, the teacher acts a guide or facilitator rather than the giver of information. This is the difference between early childhood and the rest of school," she added. "The teacher shouldn't be talking at the children. The teacher should have good questioning techniques to draw information from children."

Search process

To find a good preschool, parents should visit classrooms and interview teachers, Mrs. Kaufman said. She also advises parents to look for well-organized classrooms with learning centers that include areas for reading, art, block play, sand and water, science and manipulatives, and music. A good outdoor play area is also important.

"Parents should look for a whole environment that is child-centered," Mrs. Kaufman said.

Both teachers at St. Mary's agree with Mrs. Kaufman's advice to visit potential schools. "It's important to visit the building while class is in session," Mrs. Going said.

She and Mrs. Thompson also advise talking with other parents when looking for an early childhood education program. "Get their perspective," Mrs. Going said. "That's how our program is growing."

On the grow

St. Mary's program started nine years ago with 18 children. Today, they have 90 students enrolled, with four sections for four-year-olds and four sections for three-year-olds.

St. Mary's isn't the only program experiencing growth. In the 1991-92 school year, there were 1,219 children enrolled in early childhood programs in diocesan Catholic schools. (That figure does not include the private schools or parish programs.) In 1995-96 1,365 children were enrolled in these programs.

In fact, of the 38 Catholic elementary schools in the Diocese, only three don't offer an early childhood education program, due to lack of space.

Service to families

According to Sister Ann McCarthy, superintendent of Catholic schools, the early childhood programs are a service Catholic schools can provide to families.

"Today, almost every set of parents is working," she said. "We offer an environment which people have a great deal of confidence in. Our programs are part of the whole school and parish. These are pluses."

Another plus in Catholic preschools is that religion is included each day, she said. Children are exposed to prayers and Bible stories, and are provided with a sense of what is sacred.

Evaluations

Another benefit to the early childhood programs at Catholic schools are that they are monitored by the Diocese. The early childhood programs participate in the regular school evaluations performed by teams from Catholic schools throughout the Diocese.

The programs are also subject to regular visitations by the superintendent's office and are supervised by the school principals.

The Catholic School Office also requires that the teachers in the programs have degrees in early childhood education. They go through the same screening process all potential Catholic school teachers are subject to. That process looks at a candidate's academic credentials, as well as references and state records.

Onward in school

Sister Ann agreed that an early childhood program can play an important role in a child's academic success.

"I can never say that all children need preschool," she said. But "most children under normal conditions would benefit. Those who have profited the greatest from preschool are children coming from an educationally disadvantaged background."

She stressed, though, that a preschool program should be one that is enjoyable for children. "The business of children is play," she said. "That's what they should be doing. It's a mistake leaving off the play."

(12-05-96) [[In-content Ad]]