Chesterfield County has taken a proactive approach to early childhood education. “We believe in improving experiences that help students enter school ready to learn,” said Yseult Vin-Franck, Coordinator for Early Childhood Services for Chesterfield County Public Schools. The early childhood education program models a quality childcare experience for ages four and five with accredited teachers, a safe environment and early learning.
There are 22 schools in Chesterfield participating in the pre-kindergarten program,with 628 slots for enrollment. Funding comes from the following sources: Head Start, Title 1, Virginia Preschool Initiative, and the School Readiness program.
“Pre-K teachers receive $1,500 to spend how they see fit,” said Vin-Frank. “And $500 goes to each participating school. There are no strings attached to how the teacher chooses to spend the money for [his or]her classroom.”
Funding initiatives may overlap, but all have the same desire: to immerse children in learning at an early age through purposeful play. Activities are designed for exploration and social interaction.
“Not everyone qualifies for the program,” Vin-Franck said. “Acceptance is not based on a first come first served enrollment.” The program is designed for low-income families and children who need extra attention in early learning skills such as speech, sorting objects, problem-solving, counting, and letter and color recognition.”
“We meet the students where they are,” said Patricia Richards, Curtis Elementary pre-kindergarten teacher. “The experience doesn’t look the same for everyone.”
Some children come to school with emotional challenges, others need more social interaction, and some just need help with phonics or number identification. “We try to address what is most meaningful to the student,” Richards said.
Richards has been a teacher for 19 years, most of the time teaching first and second grade or technology training for teachers and students. Four years ago, she started teaching pre-K at Harrowgate Elementary where she taught for two years before moving to Curtis.
“I just love pre-K,” she said. “Every day is a new day. I’ve never had a bad day since I started teaching this age group.” Richard’s especially likes the beginning of the year, when students are excited and full of wonder. “We encourage them to explore everything in the classroom and ask lots of questions. The learning is very hands-on.”
Questions not only engage the students in conversation, but help them learn new vocabulary words and critical thinking skills. It is very rewarding when teachers hear students repeating words used in the lessons, she said.
Jennifer Cave is an Instructional Support Specialist with the Virginia Preschool Initiative, one of the funders of the Pre-K program. Cave enjoys watching the pupils grow and progress academically.
“I had a student come to me with no literacy skills at all at the beginning of the school year,” she said. “He could neither identify nor write any letters in his name. By the end of Pre-K he could name almost all of the letters and knew the sounds of five or six letters. His skills were still lagging, but he had tasted success and was ready to learn.”
Some students lack the necessary social skills to work within a group setting. Cave recalled one such student who had a language barrier and would often “parallel play,” sometimes because of the language barrier, but often because he was unsure of how to play with the others.
“By the end of the year he was a good friend to many,” she said. “Not only did he succeed in pre-K, but the success followed him. By second grade, he was in one of the top reading groups, [in one of]the top math groups, and a leader in his class. According to his teachers, he had great work habits and always set a good example for others.”
This success reached his sister too. As the pre-K teacher worked with her student, his mother in turn worked with his younger sister. When she came to pre-K, she could already recognize many letters and knew how to write her name.
Susan Pereira, principal at Curtis, believes the pre-K program adds value throughout the entire school.
“Not only does it help our students acclimate to the school environment before kindergarten, but these students bring joy to all of our school family with their smiles and eagerness and excitement for learning. They are enthralled by the older students, and the older students are reminded of how important it is to be good role models and citizens.”
Pereira believes pre-K pupils are better prepared for school the following year. They already know how to do school, things such as the lunch line, walking in the hallway, holding a pencil, coloring and cutting, sharing, and being a good friend, she said.
“All you have to do is walk by their classroom,” she said, “and you can’t help but smile as you hear their excitement for learning!
Applications for the pre-K program are taken year-round, and students who are not initially accepted are placed on a waiting list, in case a spot opens during the year. The number of available slots is depends on funding and community need. Currently, the participating elementary schools in the Chester area school zone are: Curtis, Harrowgate, Marguerite Christian, Elizabeth Scott, Bellwood, Bensley, Ecoff, and Wells. Wells is the designated school for special education students in this program.
Pre-K application forms may be picked up at the school the child plans to attend or found online at the following website: https://mychesterfieldschools.com/curriculum/student-support-services/head-start/prekindergarten/ Children must be age 4 by Sept. 30, 2020 for the 2020-21 school year enrollment.
In person application events will be held at Meadowdale Library for students living in the Bellwood and Falling Creek school zones on February 27th (12pm to 6 pm) and 28th (10am to 2 pm).
Students attending one of the 22 schools listed in the program will have in person application events March 23-26 at Bellwood Elementary School ,9536 Dawnshire Road, North Chesterfield VA 23237, see mychesterfieldschools.com for times). Review website for a list of required documents to bring. All prospective students must attend for on-site testing.
