My daughter is
going to kindergarten. She's happy,
healthy and well
prepared...... I love Tiny Tots and appreciate all that you
have done for
us.
-
voice mail
message from a parent, November 2006
Jacob:
Bright, but
Bored
"Jacob"
had behavioral problems from the
time he was a toddler. By the time he entered Pre-Kindergarten at age
4, he was
having lengthy daily tantrums. Teachers recall that he was inattentive,
disruptive, climbed on everything, and had problems communicating. He
shouted
in conversations instead of speaking normally and did not listen well.
He would
not share toys with other children and had poor social skills; he
seemed to be
in constant conflict with other children and preschool teachers.
Tiny Tots staff successfully used the
"Problem Solving
Area" to teach Jacob to resolve conflicts. This was a designated area
in
the classroom where two people could sit down and discuss the reasons
for a
conflict and find a resolution. Jacob spent a lot of time in the
problem
solving area with teachers and other children; then something seemed to
click.
By the middle of the school year, Jacob would suddenly stop himself as
a
conflict was escalating, and would say, "Let's go to the problem
solving
area". He even began to intervene in conflicts between other children,
telling them, "You need to go to the problem solving area".
Jacob is now in first grade. He loves school, has learned to
make friends, and is progressing well academically. His mother reports
that his
first words upon arriving home are often, "Mom, I gotta do my
homework!"
Making
the Leap
from Preschool to 1st
Grade: Tiny Tots Kids Can Do It!
Some
children enrolled in ECEAP childcare at Tiny Tots
Development Center take the unusual step of going directly from
Pre-Kindergarten classes to first grade, as a result of the high
quality early
childhood education they received here. They have developed the skills
needed to
pass the admittance tests. When Tiny Tots teachers observe that
children are
capable of doing work beyond their grade or age level, they encourage
the
children to do so, giving them more challenging lessons in reading,
writing,
and basic math. School readiness goes beyond the high scores these
students
receive; we also believe that and social and emotional readiness are
essential
for school, and we work to maintain a caring, attentive environment.
Here
are the brief stories of two children who went
from Pre-K directly to first grade.
Andre
hated being separated from his
mother for even
brief periods of time, and he cried when she dropped him off for child
care. As
he began to feel safer and calmer, he responded to the gentle attention
from
the staff who provided engaging lessons and social activities that
distracted
him from his worries. At an early age, he colored within the lines, and
was
even something of a perfectionist – if he made a mistake and
colored outside
the lines, he'd want to start over. He progressed quickly and his
teachers
created an individual learning plan to match his skill level.
He is now
in the first grade and is doing very well.
Ruthie was bullied by her
older sister, who she admired
greatly for her ability to read. Upon arriving at Tiny Tots Ruthie was
withdrawn, shy with other children, and nearly always silent. During
her time
here, she developed higher self-esteem, received caring one-on-one
attention,
and made friends. She achieved her dream of learning to read before she
left
Pre-K, and her mother reports that she is excelling academically.
A Place Safe from
Rage for Gwen
An
ugly, angry divorce stirred up emotions that
spilled over to four-year-old "Gwen". The child arrived at Tiny Tots
for Pre-Kindergarten in a rage. She cried frequently, tried to bully
other
children, and sometimes hit staff. Patience, individual attention, and
an
understanding approach by our teachers helped Gwen's rage fade away,
and soon
she greeted staff with hugs. She was able to relax and concentrate on
her
lessons within the safe space of Tiny Tots. Both her academic
achievement and
emotional well-being improved. Gwen, now kinder and calmer, is doing
well in
Kindergarten.
June:
a foster
child finds loving care at TinyTotsDevelopmentCenter
"June",
aged 4, was a foster child who was
born to a drug-addicted mother. There were indications that the child
had been
abused while in previous foster placements. During her first days at
Tiny Tots,
June would throw objects and destroy things in classrooms. She also
attempted
to run away at any opportunity. Field trips necessitated the use of a
harness,
something none of the other children wore. June often appeared angry
and sad,
and would pull out her hair and eat it. Concentrating on lessons was
difficult
for her.
Tiny Tots Lead Teacher, Patricia Scarberry, responded
to June with loving care and one-on-one attention. She tried to show
June that
adults could be safe and caring.
One day, when Pat picked up a stray wire clothes
hanger from the floor to put it away, and she saw June flinch and
cried,
"Don't hit me. They hit me on my feet with that." Pat assured the
child that hangers were only for putting clothes on, never for hitting,
and
that she would not be hit while at Tiny Tots.
June began to trust her new environment and to pay more
attention in lessons. Her social interaction with other children
improved, and
her self-esteem grew. One day, eyeing the harness before another field
trip,
she asserted herself.
"I'm not a doggie. Why you got this leash on me?"
"Because we want you to be safe," Patricia
explained. "We don't want you to run away, like you did before. You
might
get hit by a car. You only wear it because we want to protect you."
"Okay. I won't run away anymore."
The harness was put away, and June never ran away from
a field trip again.
While she was enrolled at Tiny Tots, June learned to
write her name and her spoken and written vocabulary was increasingly
notably
by the time she was removed from foster care and returned to her birth
mother.
Sadly, Tiny Tots staff have lost track of June. She did attend
kindergarten,
and would be in second grade now.
Safe
After a Quake
During the
2001 Nisqually earthquake, a group of children
from Tiny Tots Main were on a field trip to the Aquarium. They were
standing on
a pier enjoying the sunshine when it began to sway. Lead Teacher
Patricia
Scarberry sat the children down and kept up a steady stream of
soothing, easy
talk, and no one in the group appeared frightened. As soon as the
tremors
ended, the group returned to the childcare site, where nervous parents
waited.
The children were doing well and were quite interested in the unusual
events of
the day. Parents thanked staff for caring for their children and
keeping them
calm.
home
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