Good Start
Foundation for education begins with Pre-K program
By GEORGIA PURDY Newsboy Correspondent

From the Pledge of Allegiance, through the ABC board, calendar time and the daily news, Tammy Gerard explains, in detail, what a day in the life of a four-year-old is like when enrolled in the pre-kindergarten program at Jean C. Few Primary School.

Gerard, who is the Pre-K coordinator, is a strong advocate for early childhood education and absolutely passionate about the program at Few.

"Our morning routine is the same every day and every teacher is doing the same thing," Gerard said. "That means that every child is getting the same education. For someone coming into a room and watching some of the activities, they might think we are just having fun, but every activity has an educational purpose. For example, we have calendar time. It teaches numbers but also teaches that we read from left to right. In our daily news program, each child gets up and reports on something they have done since the day before. The teacher writes that sentence and helps the child read it. Again, they are learning that we read from left to right."

Curriculum also includes weather reporting, a way to introduce science and again, reinforce that English speakers read from left to right.

"When children fill in the blank in a sentence like, 'Today is cloudy,' they are observing the weather and reading from left to write," Gerard said.

Gerard said that many of her pre-kindergarten children are not just learning the letters of the alphabet; they are able to read all of their classmates' names, and associate those names with the alphabet.

According to JISD Elementary Curriculum Director Judy Marken, the teachers at Few have every right to be proud of their program.

"They have a strong group," Marken said. "You couldn't find a better group than these teachers."

Public schools are required to hire certified teachers. That means that every instructor has at least a Bachelors degree and certification in Early Childhood Education. There are five teachers and five aides in the Few halfday program, including one bi-lingual teacher. Aides attend in-service programs that are geared to elemen- -tary school.

In addition to state-certified teachers, curriculum is based on state guidelines and aligned to the Texas Essential Skills and Knowledge (TEKS).

Both teachers and administrators feel that these two factors are what distinguish the public school's programs from the various private programs.

"Ours is a state adopted program for pre-kindergarten," Gerard said. "We use the Scholastic Pre-K Program."

Alignment to the TEKS, they feel, is essential to a good program.

"Our guidelines are aligned with the TEKS curriculum that is taught K through grade 12," Few Principal Vanessa Phillips said. "That means that our Pre-K curriculum teaches what children are expected to know when they enter kindergarten."

Vertical alignment means that teachers in one grade meet with teachers in the grade level above so that what they teach will fit with the expectations in the next grade level.

In that way, children are prepared for subsequent instruction.

For example, kindergarten children are expected to write using both capital and lowercase letters. In Few's four-year-old program, teachers focus on that particular skill.

Using what they call an ABC board, the students learn to read the names of everyone in the class and to distinguish between capital and lowercase letters.

"That's very important," Phillips said. "Some Pre-K and kindergarten programs teach children to write in all-capitals. Students must know the difference in public school kindergarten. If they don't, that's a hard habit to break."

Alignment or lack of alignment becomes critical by third grade when students are required to pass the TAKS test.

Students who have been in systems where curriculum is not correlated to the TEKS are at a disadvantage.

Technology is also part of Few's program and again, it correlates to state requirements for literacy in technology.

"All of our classrooms have computers," Gerard said. "That's one of our guidelines. We have state requirements for technology applications. Children must know how to use a mouse, keyboard and some software programs."

Few also offers a number of services for children and parents.

"We provide free breakfast for all children and free or reduced lunch for those who qualify," Marken said. "We also have diagnostic services such as speech therapy, physical therapy and a school nurse. Our nurse is an R.N. In addition, we have a school counselor."

The school counselor frequently deals with parents as well as children.

If a child has some behavioral adjustment problems, the counselor can meet with the parent and discuss ways to handle that.

A family tragedy can also be dealt with by a school counselor.

"I actually had a child whose parent was killed in an auto accident," Gerard said. "The counselor talked with both child and surviving parent and provided support for them. As a result, the child was better able to cope."

Those interventions, say school staff, are important to the child's success.

"A child reacts the way the family reacts," Phillips said. "The counselor works with the family on how to deal with the child and that helps the child."

A family who becomes homeless also qualifies for services, Marken said.

The school can provide clothing and items such as school supplies when a family's house burns, for example, or if they have to live in temporary housing for other reasons.

Parent education is another element of their service.

"We have two kinds of training for parents," Marken said. "We offer a session on how to be a better parent and one on helping their children in school."

An additional service is transportation to and from school.

Another significant positive factor in Few's program, these teachers say, is that students become comfortable with the public school environment.

"Being on our campus as four-year-olds means that they are included in campus wide activities and assemblies," Gerard said. "For example, they participate in Red-Ribbon Week and the Pride carnival. They become familiar with the building, the people and the school routine."

"Oh, yes," said Phillips, "They enter kindergarten like they know everything. They know where everything is. They know how to walk in the halls, how to eat in the cafeteria. They are used to the routine and are comfortable being here. You don't see crying children who are scared and uncertain. The children who attend our Pre-K program enter kindergarten already having these adjustment skills."

There are a lot of positives about this program because it meets educational guidelines set by both the Federal government and the State of Texas, but perhaps the best indicator of success is the obvious pride of the staff.

"The report card we send home to parents is so good that we've seen other school districts copy it," Gerard said. "Parents can see what skills were taught on a particular day and how their child did."

As Gerard flips through her Pre-K curriculum guide, ticking off the skills and activities taught at Few Primary School, she pauses.

Her big blue eyes seem even larger and more luminous when she says, "I think the best thing is the team of teachers we have. We're very passionate.