Early Learning Fair Helps Parents Know About Options

A little rain didn’t deter local families from attending the first annual Early Learning Spring Festival, held at the covered area of the old Osborn school. The May 12th event was created by collaborative effort between all the early learning providers of the Upper Valley. It was a coming together of Head Start and ECEAP, Kodiak Cubs Preschool, Mountain Sprouts and TK Cubs (transitional kindergarten).

 Parents came for information about options but little ones came for the fun. Cheeks were adorned with rainbows and butterflies from the popular face painting station. There were opportunities to paint a rock, have a story time with one of the local librarians, roll huge dice as part of a Fish and Wildlife salmon life cycle game, plant a seed, and take home a coloring book and some play dough.

“The idea of a coordinated enrollment event is something that has been suggested by Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) as transitional kindergarten programs are rolled out across the state,” explained Lindsay Camp, Kodiak Cubs preschool teacher. “Our early learning community is working together as a team to support and nurture all of the young children and families in our community.”

The four programs are enough to meet the local need, so it’s about finding the right fit for each family. Some programs are full day, some are partial days. Head Start and ECEAP have low-income qualifications while the other preschool programs have sliding scale or available tuition assistance. Transitional kindergarten has no fee.

Transitional kindergarten (TK), which is at Peshastin Dryden Elementary with teacher Karlye Risdon, is a new concept for many. TK is defined on the OSPI website: “Students are eligible for kindergarten when and if they are five years of age by August 31. TK programs are intended for children not yet five by August 31 who have been screened and demonstrate the need of additional preparation in order to be successful in kindergarten the following year.”

TK programs are expected to work in collaboration with and not adversely impact enrollment in community-based preschool programs.

Risdon said her current class is at the cap of 17. How did the four-year olds adapt to full day, every day school? Risdon said she incorporates rest time, and they started the year slowly, building skills through what is 90% play, frequently outdoors.

Registration for all of these programs is now open for next school year. “Rosters can fill up, but if families find their program of choice is full, the best course of action is to complete a registration and get on that program’s waiting list. A great alternative is to check out the other options available,” said Camp.
Head Start and ECEAP (receiving federal and state funding, respectively) have a location in Peshastin, one of seven total locations in Chelan/Douglas County. They are run by the Chelan-Douglas Child Services Association.

In addition to preschool classes, they also offer home-based services and childcare.

Cassie Borges from the Haring Center for Inclusive Education at University of Washington, hosted a table and was excited to talk about how Camp’s Kodiak Cubs program is a model of inclusive education and can serve as an example for other small communities around the state that want to create a similar program. Borges said she’s connecting with other Cascade School District staff to help support inclusive work in all grade levels.

Part of what makes Kodiak Cubs unique is utilizing high school students who are enrolled in the Child Development Level II class as assistants. Two high schoolers, Hadley Haggard and Lorelai Kinnear, were at the event, helping children pick out a picture book to take home.

The event definitely felt like the right mix of festivity and useful resources. Parents could gather information while kids popped bubbles from a bubble machine and frolicked to the happy songs of Beth Whitney, a local singer/songwriter who donated her time.

Shannon Roche, one of the organizers, thanked Munchen Haus and CrunchPak for their support. Roche and other members of Kodiak Cubs family coordinating committee brainstormed the activities, but she admitted, “Lindsay had the passion to make this happen.” The vision shared by Camp, Roche and others was, as Roche said, “Beyond information, it’s about community and bringing families together.”
For more information on each of the programs, go to www.cascadesd.org/Page/2490 and click on “Early Learning in the Upper Valley.”