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Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 64F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph..
Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 64F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.
Housed at South St. Marys Street Elementary School is the first district-operated preschool program.
Housed at South St. Marys Street Elementary School is the first district-operated preschool program.
ST. MARYS — At the start of the 2022-23 school year, St. Marys Area School District kicked off its first district-operated preschool program ever.
Designed and developed by teacher Valerie Nedimeyer, the program follows Pennsylvania Early Learning standards and district curriculum maps, said South St. Marys Street Elementary School Principal Chrissy Kuhar. This is a very exciting addition to the district and its overall goal for student success.
“We are excited to offer another early learning opportunity to students in St. Marys Area School District,” said Nedimyer. “We recognize that there are other high-quality programs for the children in our community, and our hope is that this program is another great option.”
Nedimyer went on to say that research shows early childhood education can have a very significant impact on overall student achievement.
The preschool program is housed at SSMSES, but is open to any child who turns 4 years old by June 1 and lives within the district, she said.
“The children in this year’s program live from Bennett’s Valley, Fox Township, and South’s communities. There were no income requirements for this program, and the program is provided free of charge to families.”
This school year, the program has 20 children in one classroom, a teacher and teacher’s aide, said Nedimyer.
“Our program is a full school day. The children in the program will attend ‘specials’ like art, gym, music, and library with our district teachers,” she said.
Students also have access to SMASD’s free school breakfast and lunch program.
“Learning standards are clearly mapped out for educators from a child’s birth through high school. That includes over 200 learning standards in preschool that incorporate everything from learning numbers and letters to social emotional skills, approaches to play and participating in simple science investigations,” said Nedimyer.
The classroom is set up to enhance play-based learning, she noted.
Quoting Mr. Fred Rogers, Nediymer said, “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.”
The preschool’s curriculum will also be aligned with other high-quality, research-based programs that other grades in SMASD are currently using, said Nedimyer, noting the examples of learning letters and phonemic awareness from Wilson’s Fundations reading program, and a math program from Eureka Math.
“So, when the students in this program enter school-district kindergarten, they will have great alignment and exposure to those programs,” Nedimyer continued.
She also has incorporated a program called “Creative Curriculum,” which is a state-approved program “that has a strong emphasis on social emotional skills, play based learning, science and social studies investigations.”
The program will also work closely with Seneca Highlands IU9 Early Intervention preschool program.
“This will provide any special education services needed to the preschoolers in our program. It is very important to me and the district that we are providing high-quality inclusive learning opportunities to our students. More than 40 years of research show that inclusion benefits children with and without learning disabilities. so we are going to do everything in our power to support that,” said Nedimyer.
SMASD Superintendent Harley Ramsey and district administrators have been an “amazing support” throughout the development of this program, she noted.
“They truly believe that children are part of the SMASD community from birth, not just when you enter kindergarten,” said Nedimyer. “They chose to develop this program to support the needs of the families and students in our community. It has been a great pleasure to build this program from the ground up with them.”
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