Preschool in Action: The Fundamental Nature of the Program

Program History

Over 60 years ago, between 1947 and 1949, Old South’s members organized the 2-day per week, informally structured, Tuesday - Thursday Preschool as one part of the church’s community outreach work. This time for children provided a respite for families experiencing the upheavals of the period. After about 25 years, in an effort to meet the changing needs of families with young children in the city better, the school transitioned to a broader philosophical and programmatic focus. The schedule options expanded to 3, 4 and 5 days. As organized today, Old South acknowledges its origins, occupying a part-time scheduling niche rarely found now in early education facilities in the City of Boston.

Families

When families come to Old South Preschool, they receive another of the many welcomes from the entire Old South community to enter freely its Open Door. The Preschool carries out its work without regard to color, religious and political beliefs, race, cultural heritage, ability, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, gender identification, family structure or national origin. Implicit in the invitation to join the Preschool community when parents enroll their children is the understanding that they can share themselves as individuals and in their role as parents. Generally, the act of sharing becomes second nature in short order. The staff’s awareness that parents’ perspectives and their view of education inform and help broaden a vision paves the way for valuable exchanges. Old South embraces discourse and dialogue. Moreover, in appreciating the fact that parents hold the primary key to their children and serve as speakers for them, the staff sees parental input as essential. Naturally occurring parent-teacher alliances play an influential role in soothing the expected disturbances in both parents and children when adjusting to the new community. Before long, a transition to the new gives way to contentment with the familiar.

Only a few occasions exist when all families are in one place during the school week since varied part-time scheduling limits daily contact. However, there are positive features in this circumstance: 1) families mostly have a schedule that works for them; 2) by the week’s end, everyone has opportunity to connect. During the year, several built-in special events allow the whole school community to be in the same place at the same time. Additionally, each class occasionally plans gatherings where everyone attends regardless of schedule, which helps strengthen the developing community.

Parents chime-in and dive-in quickly when requested to lend a hand with contacts, expertise, and projects, large or small. The contributions they make range from graphics work to carpentry, and include time and donations of all kinds. “Parent Participation,” a regular component of the school year, provides complementary experiences of unimaginable value and substance. Classes experience a variety of things: music and professionally played instruments, arts, parents’ playtime with classmates, medical procedure discussions, sharing a snack, body movement challenges, cooking, reading of favorite stories, excursions, bridge building, games, photo taking, and inspections of professional sports equipment. Sometimes parents are hesitant to participate in the classrooms. However, when everyone relaxes and considers the learning possibilities offered through any activity, hesitancy falls away and the whole community acknowledges that “Parent Participation” yields enormous benefit including unforeseen fun.

Community

In welcoming families into a culture of relationships, the program supports development in the participants—teachers, children and parents. Relationships, treasured as opportunities for dialogue and interactions, also provide numerous chances to share in the delight of young children. As a community of partners, Old South uses energizing collaboration and mutual sharing to create a sense of belonging. Collaborations that build relationships between teachers and children, as well as those between children, are part of the teaching-learning equation that helps identify the direction of learning experiences. The interactions also demonstrate that each child is known well by all staff and appreciated within the community. In our experience, trust in collaborative connections between teachers and parents provides important support for both the children and the adults.

Teachers

The program is fortunate to have three teams of teachers, experienced as team members and as individuals prior to joining our staff. The number of years in the field ranges from 5 - 23; currently, teachers have been at Old South for 3, 7, 8, 10, and 23 years. In a small setting such as Old South, longevity of the staff is a very valuable asset.

As people who find joy personally in the work of being teachers of young children, Old South’s devoted teams value the sense of wonder and joyfulness accompanying children in their classes. Our teachers, like many others in the field, tell stories about their classrooms that keep smiles on their faces, daily, and on the face of anyone else who will listen. Often a story describes the surprising humor of a child or an unexpected reaction to an everyday routine. Another anecdote is about witnessing an Aha! moment of a 4 year old when, after dialogue, the child’s thinking takes form in drawings of a plan for moving crates of blocks. There are occasions such as when a 2½ year old selects paints matching the colors of a large fresh flower nearby, surprisingly revealing connections she constructed. Whenever teachers recount how they sustain their own interest, support motivation, and fuel engagement, experiences similar to these are frequently included. There is conversation regularly about being perpetual students of child development and learning, their scholarly investment evident in assessments, descriptions, and planning. In addition, professional education and commitment to the field and to the school community speak to their dedication.

Our teaching teams: Tyla Dandeneau and Sharon Reardon, Red Room; Summer Marsh and Saba Sodagar, Green Room; and Laura Dillon, Jennifer Levitt and Leslie Caputo, Blue Room.

Inside Environment

Inside areas lend themselves to physical activity, fact-finding missions and countless challenges. Displays of children’s work with photos of the process serve to inform, honor their work and provide aesthetic pleasure for “residents” and visitors alike. Besides, these pictorial arrangements in classrooms and hallways contribute to creating a warm, welcoming tone. Three spacious classrooms easily accommodate sprawling block constructions and meet the requirements of a sit-down lunchtime, small group activities, cot-time, and cozy possibilities. Well equipped for the comfort of children and adults with big sofas and small chairs, plants, pillows and rugs, the moveable fixtures support flexible arrangements for inviting interest and staging busy group occasions. Often there is daily furniture moving, readying the space for the next experience.

A regular inquiry from the children: “Where are we going today?”

Outside Environment

Adventurous excursions, regularly a part of the children’s week, carry them about the city, putting to use the invaluable sidewalk skills required for travel. Exposure is not limited to several playgrounds; rather it includes a wide range of places to go and things to see. Even the experience of entering and exiting our home, the towering stone edifice with its gardens, adds concretely and aesthetically to the children’s lives. Similar to when inside, being outside also provides children with challenges and fact-finding opportunities along with intensified mental and physical engagement. From exploring murals or mosaics in search of inspiration and understanding to memorial statues that contain historical viewpoints, there is a lot to capture for further reference. Making visits inside shops to purchase replacement bolts for cots or to gather ingredients for a cooking project gives children chances to collect data for study, firsthand. Topics related to societal awareness and social justice or responsibility issues practically jump off the sidewalk, presenting a broad list for discussions. The process of traveling around easily allows children to view their world from different angles and to claim the city as part of their environment. When young children investigate the city, their visibility helps others become aware of them as contributing citizens who declare ownership appropriate for this point in their lives.

What

Recognizing that the long term impact of early education years on children and the promise of their future rests on what learning experiences are and how they are presented, Old South accepts that actions leading to bright outcomes require a particular focus. From our perspective, the dynamic combination of a positive climate, rich possibilities across developmental areas, and approaches that construct knowledge and reinforce dispositions for learning are keys to children’s well-rounded growth.

Theories and a growing body of research on what is fundamental to optimal learning and development identify children’s first five years as learning-to-learn years. We accept that during this period, strengthening dispositions increases the possibility of immediate achievement and supports expanding competency. Also, at this time, marking children's developmental milestones and meeting goals for becoming enthused learners are significant targets. Accordingly, as stewards of our early childhood program, we commit to advance children’s development and learning. We pledge dutifully to contribute to children’s lives in ways that are sound, respectful, and subsequently, beneficial.

The force of the Preschool’s structure arises from several theoretical sources: education theorist and practitioner, John Dewey; psychologist, Jean Piaget’s cognition and development process theories; Lev Vygotsky, scaffolding children’s learning; Elizabeth Jones and John Nimmo’s work on emergent curriculum concepts; and from Erik Erikson, psychosocial development and personality. Further informing the program are subsequent works of many authors who fine-tuned aids for understanding related theoretical tenets.

Acknowledging their innate curiosity and wondrous imagination, an experienced teacher declares, “Get ready! The children are coming!”

The environments presented at Old South drive children’s spontaneous involvement, encouraging them to think about things, interact—engage, inquire, experiment—and reflect. Children are urged to wonder, to identify problems, test theories, and pursue their ideas until gratified. With formulating thought as a prime goal for children, teachers help them to see their thinking materialize concretely and make sense of the inquiries they initiate. Children embrace provocations made by people, places, materials, ideas, and roles. There are chances to address tangible or abstract things in tried and true ways, and then shift to challenging their thoughts from new perspectives. With mind and body involved, teachers and children become questioners, investigators, and builders of knowledge as collaborators.

The desire to have the children’s interests power school day experiences calls for the use of emergence concepts. Curriculum development and implementation falls to teachers and children working collectively and in context. We view curriculum as what happens during the day, much of which is planned evolution enriched with numerous teachable moments. When seeking content and a balanced blend of what children need to learn to progress and discovering meaning in what they want to learn, we find that the emergent curriculum approach affords infinite experiential possibilities. Children’s interests with teacher injections make for a lively, stimulating time. Additionally, this method supports children’s creative facility as they propose ideas for examination, or stretch themselves when risking attachment to a specific initiative. It invokes their ingenuity and offers evidence of the transformative power of engaging in this manner.

Placing children at the center, the approaches Old South uses address what can best provide opportunities that support well-rounded growth in ways we value. The use of a focused question offers guidance: What is the fundamental activity of children? It takes little observation of children’s spontaneous ways to identify play as the answer. Then the task is to select specifically constructive play, planned to encourage and strengthen effort, determination and motivation. Old South chooses to support children through balanced, evolving learning strategies that include the many attributes of engaging play to promote development. We provide for Play! and lots of it, all types!

Old South honors Play! for its many qualities and invites its capacity to access all areas of children’s development. We utilize Play! to prompt progress that expands children’s interests, resolve and societal awareness. We organize opportunities for Play! that take advantage of children’s magical imagination and curiosity to induce engagement for learning. We treasure Play! for its compelling potential to extend competence through inquiry, experimentation and reflection. We employ Play! to construct points where parents and children connect. We respect Play! for its transforming possibilities. Play! settings are arranged to facilitate self control and positive interactions with others, helping children practice emerging skills. In Play! scenarios, content knowledge relevant to the level of growing children comes to life. Old South relies on Play! to reveal children’s individual differences and pace. Ultimately, Play! supports diverse learning schemes with a range of complexity that embody a fundamental consideration: respect for children as unique individuals.

Developing activities that resonate with children employs a varied collection of vehicles: print media, literature, dictation, writing, movement, reading, music, arts-making, cooking, materials exploration, excursions, socio-dramatic scenarios, group games, discussion, construction with blocks and manipulatives, representational expression and gatherings. When we use these vehicles, support emerges for growth and development of language and communication, for mathematical and scientific thinking, for the social-emotional domain and for the physical area.

How

“Be Nice!” an admonition heard from a 4 year old when discussing caring behaviors

It makes sense to us that humans, in particular, young children, have the right to exist in an atmosphere that is caring and positive with guidance matching developmental levels. Our teachers and children establish a compassionate climate in their classes that protects all participants as they learn to recognize differences between supportive and contrary choices. Conditions for effective learning, congenial interactions and teacher-child relationships that are trusting and warm in nature prove important and binding. In this climate, the experience of children seeing how they, as well as their peers, are worthy, capable beings produces such an optimistic feeling that maintaining a constructive tone comes easily. Cultivating a spirit of receptivity and equity adds greatly to creating an atmosphere where children gain self-regulation facility, increase pro-social skills and practice treating others thoughtfully.

Considering that children’s distress interferes with learning, emotional health is critical, as are the skills to navigate social and emotional surges throughout the early years. Our position is that health and safety, physical comfort and emotional well-being are crucial to learning that flourishes and children who thrive. Overall, helping children to thrive and develop a passion for learning are goals, making establishing positive circumstances to reach these goals of the utmost importance.

Caring: Caution in avoiding harm or danger; heedfulness; 

The American Heritage Dictionary

Looking Forward 

From study and the practice of teaching, we learn that being able to effectively progress deeper into childhood depends on children possessing a number of enduring qualities, especially stability and confidence.

Focusing on the years after departure from Old South at age 5, we envision the children’s progress to be marked by steady, stabilizing growth due namely to their families’ engagement, the children’s development and their own powerful investment in learning. We foresee that the beginnings of a strong foundation can effectively carry them going forward. Unquestionably, children employing approaches to learning that include creative facility, perseverance, recall, theorizing and attending, reasoning, and adaptable thinking advances their educational quests. We expect the payoff for the hard work of applying these approaches to be consistent gains and mounting confidence. Blossoming as engaged learners, the children already indicate they have a budding ability to help humankind. Since the urge to question how to live justly and responsibly in our society is in place, we anticipate that with encouragement, they will move further in this area. Having increased awareness of many aspects of their environments and the promise of the future in their sights, our hope is that the children continue to show themselves as respectful, mindful learners who persist in doing as they practiced—search for meaning and reflectively interact within the larger world.

Oftentimes, adults do not give young children enough credit. Trust the children, as they are competent people, able to learn and do far more than expected.

Reflections

Leslie (Teacher of 2 - 3 year olds, Blue Room)
I am always amazed at how free and expressive young children are while painting and drawing. Their marks, shapes and mixtures of colors are so unique and beautiful. They inspire me to pick up a paint brush once again.

Summer (Teacher of 3 - 4 year olds, Green Room)
I love our location! The neighborhood provides countless opportunities for exploration and investigation. Dramatic play comes to life when we can draw inspiration from a trip to the local supermarket, flower shop, fire station, or post office. If we are studying penguins, we can board a train to the Aquarium. In addition to gaining firsthand knowledge of life cycles in the classroom, we have journeyed to the Butterfly Garden at the Museum of Science to walk among free-flying butterflies and get an up-close look at their patterns, colors, and behaviors. Reading Make Way for Ducklings takes on new meaning when the children visit the bronze statues in the Public Garden and take turns sitting on the ducklings and the much-loved Mrs. Mallard. En route, they eagerly point out landmarks from the book. It is one thing to read Catie Copley, a story about the canine ambassador of the Fairmont Copley Plaza, and quite another to see the wide eyes of the children as they enter the grand lobby of the hotel to meet Catie in person. Throughout the seasons, our surroundings are the backdrop to the children's natural energy and innate curiosity. Between collecting leaves in the Public Garden in the fall, making snow angels in Copley Plaza in the winter, and keeping track of petals and blooms in the springtime, they connect with their environment on a regular basis. This year, they have researched the city so tenaciously that they are collaborating on a book titled "Five Little Monkeys Go to Boston." The escapades carefully detailed by the children closely mirror many of their recent experiences. It is remarkable and moving to rediscover the city through their eyes.

Laura (Teacher of 2 - 3 year olds, Blue Room)
At the beginning of the year, the Blue Room children spend most of their time learning self-skills, such as how to sit on a low chair safely, how to gather around the table for snack and practicing how to feed themselves efficiently using regular sized silverware.

One morning, having had a successful snack time experience, I decided to use the opportunity of having the children all seated around the table to introduce playdough. I placed a piece in front of each child. At a moment’s blink, I realized that the children were all tucking into what they thought was their second snack—the playdough!

These moments I cherish. They’ve helped me understand that my role as a teacher is a continuous journey, forever evolving and always discovering. These are the moments that help me see that children are my (our) most valuable teachers.

Sharon (Teacher of 4 - 5 year olds, Red Room)
Even after working with children for several years, I am still amazed at their ability to see the potential in a situation. Their creativity and ingenuity seem endless. In the block area, the children demonstrate their resourcefulness as they collaborate with peers or work independently to create structures. My comment to my co-teachers is often “I can’t believe that I’ve never seen anyone build that before!" as I stand in awe at the new and inventive ways the children utilize the blocks.

Jennifer (Teacher of 2 - 3 year olds, Blue Room)
At various times throughout the school year, each of the classrooms holds different special events. One in particular and widely agreed upon favorite of the children's is Pajama Day. Though these days are fun and exciting for everyone, we are often reminded that the children, creatures of habit, expect a certain routine and consistency. This became apparent on a day in the early spring when, coincidentally, two classrooms out of three happened to host Pajama Day on the same day. An unsuspecting two-year-old, of course dressed in her regular clothes, became noticeably troubled when, upon passing through the other two classrooms en route to the bathroom, she discovered everyone in their pajamas. Teary-eyed, she asked her teachers, "Am I going home today?" It soon became clear that she was concerned that it might already be time for bed, and that she might actually be spending the night at school. The confusion was quickly cleared up, much to her relief, and everyone, including her, was then able to see the humor in the situation.

Saba (Teacher of 3 - 4 year olds, Green Room)
Old South represents a community of educators and families working as one to nurture and develop the children’s growth. This could range from teaching them how to share and ask for turns to practicing their table manners or self-help skills. We scaffold their learning and guide them on the journey that is the preschool years.

Tyla (Teacher of 4 - 5 year olds, Red Room)
One year we created trees inspired by a neighborhood window display for our winter show. They were beautiful, painted white and decorated with strips of white paper twisted and rolled for the desired effect of an evergreen with fresh snow. After the show, the trees were saved, with no real plan in mind; we knew they would have another life. In the spring, we turned the dramatic play area into a campsite. The trees were the perfect addition!  We “spray painted” them assorted green colors and they took on a completely new feeling! They had the look of  evergreens plump with lively new spring growth, and just right for the campsite.

Recycling, reusing, repurposing is an everyday occurrence. We have been collecting paper towel tubes throughout the year. Some have just become the smokestack of our dramatic play bulldozer while others were connected to hold up the roof. You never know what use you can find for potentially discarded items!

Selected Resources

Print:

Ames, Louise Bates, Frances L. Ilg, and Carol C. Haber. Your Two-Year-Old: Terrible or Tender. New York, NY: Dell Publishing, 1980.

Ames, Louise Bates, Frances L. Ilg, and Carol C. Haber. Your Three-Year-Old: Friend or Enemy. New York, NY: Dell Publishing, 1980.

Ames, Louise Bates and Frances L. Ilg. Your Four-Year-Old: Wild and Wonderful. New York, NY: Dell Publishing, 1980.

Ames, Louise Bates, Frances L. Ilg, and Carol C. Haber. Your Five-Year-Old: Sunny and Serene. New York, NY: Dell Publishing, 1981.

Chrisman, Kent, Healthy Sexuality Development: a Guide for Early Childhood Educators and Families. Washington, D.C.:  NAEYC, 2002.

Elkind, David, The Hurried Child (25th Anniversary Edition). Cambridge, MA:  Da Capo Press, 2001.

Elkind, David, The Power of Play: Learning What Comes Naturally. Cambridge, MA:  Da Capo Press, 2007.

Endres, Jeannette, Robert Rockwell and Cynthia G. Mense, Food, Nutrition, and the Young Child (5th Edition).  Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2003.

Evans, Robert, Family Matters: How Schools Can Cope with the Crisis in Childrearing. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2004.

Faber, Adele and Elaine Mazlish. How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk (20th Anniversary Edition). New York, NY: Harper Paperbacks, 1999.

Galinsky, Ellen, Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2010.

Levin, Diane E. and Carol Copple, Remote Control Childhood?: Combating the Hazards of Media Culture. Washington, D.C.:  NAEYC, 1998.

Medina, John, Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School. Seattle, WA: Pear Press, 2008.

Newberger, Eli, The Men They Will Become: The Nature And Nurture Of Male Character (1st Edition). Cambridge, MA: De Capo Press, 2000.

Online articles, broadcasts, and videos:

The Whole Child: A Caregiver's Guide to the First Five Years (PBS)

Christakis, Erika and Nicholas Christakis. "Want to get your kids into college? Let them play." CNN Opinion. 29 Dec 2010.

Plumb, Taryn. "Play school." Boston Globe. 14 Oct. 2010.

Spiegel, Alex. "Creative Play Makes for Kids in Control." NPR. 28 Feb 2008.

Forman, Dr. George and Dr. Ellen Hall. "Playing Your Way into Harvard." Video. 24 Apr 2008. YouTube.

Shonkoff, Jack P. M.D. "The Science of Early Childhood Development." Video. 1 Oct 2009. YouTube.

Topal, Cathy Weisman. "Provoking Thinking." Video. 11 Aug 2009. YouTube.

"How I Learn - Child Development Milestones." Video. 4 Feb 2010. YouTube.