Creating a village: Parents pitch in at participation nursery school
Four-year-old Mila Lapeña decorated a paper, her letter for the post office that served as the week’s theme. Mom Melissa Lapeña sat near her, chatting with the kids at her table about their drawings, making sure finished creations went to the right cubby.
On that morning, Lapeña and two dads were the volunteer staff at Modesto Parent Participation Nursery School, a different breed of preschool that invites parents to stay and play.
“I love just seeing the kids develop over time and bond with each other. That brings me a lot of joy,” Lapeña said. She picked the parent-run center because she wanted to be able to stay with her daughter.
“I liked the flexibility of being able to stay every day, especially if my daughter’s having a clingy day,” she said.
Parent participation is part of the bargain when families sign up for a preschool like Modesto PPNS or similar programs in Turlock and Mariposa.
The groups depend on parent workers to keep child-to-adult ratios low and share in cleaning, prepping and fundraising. Parents make up the boards of directors that hire the staff, which in turn provides the stability that keeps a steady stream of new parents all working together.
The training for parent volunteers focuses on positive behavior management, seeing problems before they happen or nipping them in the bud.
“We try not to say ‘no’ or ‘stop.’ We give them a reason,” said the Modesto school’s director, Dana Roy.
Modesto’s school uses a so-called free-flow program, where parents and a teacher man stations where they offer activities that children move among as the spirit moves them.
“They really do learn through play. I was brought up in a different way, more structured,” said parent volunteer David Quinonez, while daughter Anna Lucia, 3, watched through the window of a plastic castle.
“My son is 6, in first grade. He got through kindergarten – I’d say 70 percent of the year was reviewing, so he was really well prepared for kindergarten,” Quinonez said.
The call to circle time brought Anna Lucia and her dad back inside. Group activities act as transition times, giving helpers time to organize or clean up before snacks or parent pickups at the end of the day.
Twenty youngsters, sitting on the floor, snapped, clapped and sang a little intro. Then one little boy jumped up and performed a quick turn, twist or kneel as the adult in the circle described it, then started the intro again for the next child. And so it went around the circle – a lesson on taking turns, preschool style.
The final circle time includes sharing something that fits into a take-home bucket, which only two children get to do each day before handing over the share buckets to the next two.
“It helps kids with verbal development and it helps them handle a little bit of disappointment,” Roy said. “I often ask kindergarten teachers, ‘What do you wish kids knew when they get to you?’ and they told me, ‘If they could just know they aren’t always going to be the line leader.’”
Roy was a grade-school teacher before finding her niche in preschool. “Fifteen years working with littles and every year there’s something new to learn,” she said with a smile.
She started to say more, but the jog-in-place wiggles of a frantic 3-year-old got her full attention. Going over to her, Roy calmly said, “Let’s go, right now,” and they dashed to the restroom.
Parents around the play yard smiled sympathetically. The other kids kept right on digging and painting, wearing a ‘We’ve all been there,’ look on their faces.
Modesto Parent Participation Nursery School, Turlock Parent Participation Nursery School and Mariposa Cooperative Preschool are all parent-participation nursery schools.
Bee education reporter Nan Austin can be reached at naustin@modbee.com or (209) 578-2339. Follow her on Twitter @NanAustin.
KEEPING IT POSITIVE
Parents volunteering at nursery school co-ops get a primer on avoiding problems or nudging behavior along, rather than ordering kids around, creating a very different atmosphere. Here are some typical guidelines:
1. State what you want the child to do, rather than what you don’t want. For example, say, “Ride the trike around the bench,” instead of, “Don’t bump the bench.” Try to anticipate challenges and set kids up for success.
2. Give the child choices only when choices exist. For example, say, “It’s time to go home now,” instead of, “Do you want to go home now?” or adding “OK?” to statements of what will happen.
3. Use your voice as a teaching tool, keeping it quiet, reassuring and supportive. Place yourself in the most strategic position for supervising.
4. Avoid trying to change behavior by shaming, making comparisons to others or labeling behavior as naughty or selfish. Keep ahead of behaviors by being alert to loss of interest in or frustration with an activity.
5. Children listen to many conversations. Please do not discuss children or other parents with co-workers.
Source: Modesto Parent Participation Nursery School
This story was originally published March 26, 2015 at 10:49 AM with the headline "Creating a village: Parents pitch in at participation nursery school."