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Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Play Time: Marissa Martinelli, 4, plays on the teeter-totter during break time from the Tiny Tots class at the Campbell Recreation Preschool at the Campbell Community Center.
Parent involvement is key factor in success of Campbell's preschool
Program funded by city revenues
By Moryt Milo
In the world of parenting, few milestones compare to a child's first day of preschool, and with so many schools and learning approaches from which to choose, deciding on the right place for a 3- or 4-year-old can be a daunting task.
During the search process, parents uncover various options. One option is a parent-participation school--a venue requiring a parent to make a significant time commitment to assisting in the classroom, at fundraisers, on school committees, and with school maintenance.
Another option is non-parent participation, with an emphasis on child independence. In these preschools, parents do not participate in the day-to-day classroom activities, or spend time with their child. A parent's only level of participation occurs during special school events--Halloween parties or plays--and on their child's birthday.
There are also preschools that blend the concept of child independence with a small amount of parent participation. One preschool offering this approach is the Campbell Recreation Preschool in the Campbell Community Center, 1 W. Campbell Ave.
"This approach allows the parent to feel they are in a partnership with the teachers and the community," Campbell Preschool Supervisor Barbara Jones says.
The preschool program is run and supported by the city, and requires preschool parents to sign up once, every 20 classes, to help in their child's classroom. On the assigned day, a parent is required to bring to the class a snack and drinks for 20 children, and to assist the preschool teacher with various class activities.
"A parent is an assistant teacher that day," Jones says. "They help all the children and spend special time with their own child."
It is also a chance for the parent to observe how his or her child is socializing with classmates and learning in a school setting.
"It was a great opportunity to see how [my son] behaves with other kids," Rob Causey says.
It was Causey's first time working in son Spencer's classroom. His son is in the Tiny Tots program for children ages 3 and 4.
"It was a lot easier than I thought it would be," he says.
For many Campbell parents the city's preschool program provides the right balance.
Soyon Peterson, who found out about the program through a friend, says, "A full-time parent participation school was too much of a commitment. I have other children and don't have the time. This level of parent involvement is perfect."
The city's preschool also has several standout factors, adding to its appeal.
The city built the facility, in the mid-1980s, specifically to house a preschool program. When parents come to the open house, the spacious and well-maintained rooms are immediately noticed. The parents also see an outdoor playground that is safe and gated.
"The minute I walked in the [preschool] door I knew it was the right place," Campbell parent Krista Johnson says. "When I drop off my child I know he is in good hands."
Like Peterson, Johnson learned about the school through word-of-mouth. She has one child, Sven, in the KinderKids program--the pre-kindergarten program for children ages 4 and 5.
Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Monkeying Around: Spencer Causey, 4, gets a boost going across the monkey bars from parent Michele Wallace during recess time, while Ben Goodwin (left) waits his turn.
Jones says the preschool's state-of-the-art facility and supplies are big reasons she has quality teachers. Three of her teachers--Dona Sullivan, Joanna Cripe and Jane Rowbottom--have been part of the program for more than 10 years.
"These teachers are so dedicated," Jones says. "The staff really loves the children and wants to make a difference in each child's education."
One of the ways this is accomplished is through the preschool's learning philosophy. The preschool focuses on developmental learning--children learn by doing and at their own pace. The preschool doesn't put a heavy emphasis on academics.
"What we emphasize is a love of learning," Tiny Tots teacher Rowbottom says. "My highest priority is for the child to feel comfortable. I [focus on] life skills, cooperation, problem solving and making it fun."
The teachers say everything done in the classroom has a purpose. When the KinderKids are learning the letter of the week, and the letter is A, each child brings in an apple. During circle time--when all the children gather together and sit on the floor in a circle--all the apples are sorted. The children sort the apples by color and size, which teaches counting, color recognition and sequencing.
Later the children peel the apples, which teaches eye and hand coordination, and toward the end of the class, the lesson ends with the children making applesauce, providing lessons in math and science through measuring and combining ingredients.
"A lot of physical and mental energy is exerted," KinderKids teacher Sullivan says. "Because we have shorter days--[KinderKids classes are two-and-a-half hours long], we are able to go with an intense level of activities."
Sullivan says this is the benefit of a part-time program.
The preschool day also involves an art project concentrating on doing not the results The approach is called process art.
"We care more about the process than the product," Jones says.
The preschool also incorporates a program called Raising a Reader, which is funded by the Santa Clara County Library. Each week the children in Tiny Tots and KinderKids bring home a book bag with three books. The parents and children share and read the books together. When the school year is over every child has been exposed to at least 60 books.
"It encourages [a] child to read and it helps parents know what books are age appropriate," Jones says.
The preschool has 160 children. Each class has 20 students, with one teacher, one teacher's aide and a parent. The Tiny Tots program is for children experiencing preschool for the first time. It is a two-hour program twice a week, either in the morning or afternoon. These children graduate into the KinderKids program, where learning is geared toward entering kindergarten. This program is a half-hour longer, and offers a two- or three-day-a-week option.
But with only 160 slots, competition can be steep, with many parents lining up early on the day of registration to secure a spot. Jones says flexibility is the key.
"Yes, we have the parents who camp out overnight to get what they want," she says. "But we also have parents who come at 8 a.m. and [can] enroll their child in school."
The preschool is advertised in the Campbell Recreation Winter/Spring Activities guide and offers an open house and personal tours to parents interested in the school and its facilities.
But the majority of the parents seem to discover the school through word-of- mouth. Parent Jaymi Cleland credits a friend in helping her learn about the preschool. So does Johnson.
Johnson, whose older children went through the preschool program and are in kindergarten this year, says, "It speaks well of the program when you see the same parents returning. It also gives you a real sense of community."
Campbell preschool registration for fall 2002 is April 20. The preschool's open house is April 16, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., at the Campbell Community Center, rooms 48 and 49. For more information, contact Barbara Jones at 408.866.2108.
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Campbell, California
