Two years ago, Walker’s son went to a private day care center in Stone Mountain. “’I learned that in school.’ The stop sign … he doesn’t just say it’s a stop sign. “We’re driving down the road, ‘Daddy, that’s a rhombus,’” Walker said. His son, also named Muhammad, has surprised him with his grasp of shapes. Muhammad Walker has also been impressed with the instruction at the ELC. I feel like every region, every district needs to have an ELC. “We were outside one day and she said, ‘Yes, Mommy, we can’t kill the bug because that’s its habitat,’” Bell said. Bell says she can tell her daughter is absorbing what she’s learned in that program. The ELC has a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) focus. “It’s just not this day care with babies in the background and they don’t feel like the older children. “It gave them the independence to walk into a school building, where there are children like them, and they also have administrators walking around,” Bell said. Her class rotates to different learning centers, sometimes working with adults and other times working independently or with other kids. Teacher Trameka Pass works with a small group of students. Candace Bell says that should make her 3-year-old daughter’s transition to kindergarten easier. Other parents agree the center is like school, not a free babysitting service. “Even if he doesn’t grasp it 100%, she’s at least exposing him to it, and that’s what I really love.” School, Not Day Care “His teacher does let me know that she’ll try certain things, and he will keep moving forward,” DeBowles said. She says he knows his vowel sounds, so teachers work on sight words with him. Monica DeBowles says that’s what teachers do for her 3-year-old son Christian. Teachers can also give kids who are ahead a “double dose” of an advanced skill. Teachers work with kids for 10-15 minutes on skills they need extra help to master. That may sound stringent, but Phillips says 3-year-olds are ready to learn.įor students who fall behind a little, the teachers use what’s called “double dosing” at naptime. Candace Bell says her daughter’s transition to kindergarten will be easier because of her experience at the ELC. “We run the program like a traditional school,” he said. Phillips says teachers use age-appropriate curricula. They’re practicing letter sounds, learning to count and listening to stories. Zack Phillips, the center’s acting director, says there are about 200 kids on the waiting list.Ī school tour reveals children working busily in centers. Six of those classes are funded by Georgia’s universal pre-K program.Īpplications are open to any 3- and 4-year-olds who live in the county limits. There are eight 4-year-old classes, with a ratio of 1:22. They have a teacher/student ratio of 1:15. The center has 11 classes of 3-year-olds this year. Teachers follow an established curriculum to make sure kids are prepared for kindergarten. Although kids aren’t sitting at desks all day, the center is structured like a traditional school.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |