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THE POWER OF PRESCHOOL
Beaver Creek School Preschool Programs Equip Young Students for Success 

When Superintendent Karin Ward entered the kindergarten classroom at Beaver Creek School, she saw something that startled her. The children were all seated in their little chairs, participating quietly in a pre-writing activity. When Ward looked over at Heather Cooley, the kindergarten teacher, Cooley was glowing. It was only the first day of school.

For many kindergarten teachers, including Heather Cooley, this calm, focused first day of kindergarten is a dream come true, and far from a typical reality. Before each new school year, Mrs. Cooley has prepared for chaos, and usually spends several months teaching basic classroom skills to her entering kindergarteners, including sitting in their seats, raising their hands, and participating in focused activities. Some years, she has had to teach these basics until Christmastime, leaving her only a half year to focus on academics.

“This year, when the children entered the classroom on the first day of school, they sat down in their chairs without having me ask them to. They put their hands on the table and there was complete silence. They waited for my instruction,” says Cooley. “I almost didn’t know what to do with myself!” Instead of teaching the young students how to behave in a classroom, Cooley was able to begin teaching her kindergarten curriculum on the first day.

This wasn’t luck. Cooley attributes 100% of this success to quality preschool.

About 80% of entering kindergarteners had attended the Head Start or the Quality-First enrolled Preschool Program at Beaver Creek School.  Mrs. Cooley explained that preschool is not just a safe place for working parents to put their young children, it is a foundation for a child’s future success in school. “The kids came in with what they needed to succeed,” says Cooley. “They came with a toolbox full of skills.”

Superintendent Ward had been apprehensive about the entering kindergarten class, as several of the students had been identified in preschool as having special needs or learning delays. When delays and special needs are addressed before kindergarten, however, children have a good chance of getting back on track. The sight she saw on the first day of class not only freed Ward of her worries, it elated her. “We had closed the achievement gap, says Ward. “Providing Preschool programs closes the gap so that all students are ready to succeed in kindergarten.”

Mrs. Cooley knows that this year will be a success, one where she can effectively teach the new kindergarten core standards and smoothly prepare her students for first grade. “Starting off the way we did…this year is going to be great,” says Cooley. By building a strong foundation through quality preschool, the kindergarteners of Beaver Creek are geared up for a future of success.

The preschool at Beaver Creek School is enrolled in Quality First, a program funded by First Things First designed to improve the quality of preschool and child care.