Prospect Enrichment Preschool Programs
Objectives
The programs and policies of Prospect Enrichment Preschool have been designed to accomplish the following objectives:
- To provide an emotionally supportive and nurturing environment for all children in our care.
- To create a stimulating and challenging learning atmosphere.
- To provide multi-cultural learning environments for children which reflect a respect for individual differences.
- To provide activities which teach non-violence and enhance each child's social, emotional, cognitive and physical development.
- To create a positive and mutually supportive working relationship with the families of the children in our care.
- To encourage and promote a self-directed staff who work well as a team to promote continual staff development.
We conduct pre and post assessments/screenings/testing to help us track our successes through partnerships with ECEAP, the Health Department, Child Care Licensing to name a few.
Child records: ILP, IEP, parent conferences, developmental screenings/follow ups, DECA and antidotal records.
Family partnership: resource guidance about medical/dental assistance; info/resources food/housing; continuing ed/job training info; parent involvement/education; staff contacts; assistance that leads to continuing education, job training; support parents’ participation in their child’s education; send weekly newsletters home and host 3 Parent/Teacher conferences and many Family Nights with childcare and dinner provided throughout the school year. During Family Night, families connect with one another, form bonds and create peer support, all helping to support a healthy and vital community.
The consequences of a quality preschool education are far-reaching from the start. A good start in life and early school success are directly related to high school completion and postsecondary education; these in turn are linked to lifelong earnings and the ability to build assets. Alternatively, lack of early school success that fails to get turned around creates vulnerabilities for youth and adults in terms of the likelihood of unemployment, incarceration, and homelessness. A recent study on quality preschool by Military Leaders for Kids says, “The kids who attend preschool are 44% more likely to graduate from high school than similar kids who do not attend. In addition, the children who do not attend are 5 times more likely to be chronic offenders by age 27.” This data supports our belief that preschool makes a difference to a child, a family and the overall health of the community, it keeps us going.
Our programs:
- Support Student Learning: we conduct pre and post assessments/screenings/testing to help us track our successes through partnerships with ECEAP, the Health Department, Child Care Licensing to name a few.. Child records: ILP, IEP, parent conferences, developmental screenings/follow ups, DECA (a social emotional development component) and objective antidotal records.
- Support family partnership: resource guidance about medical/dental assistance; info/resources food/housing; continuing ed/job training info; parent involvement/education; staff contacts; assistance that leads to continuing education, job training; support parents’ participation in their child’s education; send weekly newsletters home and host 3 Parent/Teacher conferences and many Family Nights with childcare and dinner provided throughout the school year. During Family Night, families connect with one another, form bonds and create peer support, all helping to support a healthy and vital community.
- Support healthy food habits: A nutritious meal(s) is provided in both the morning and afternoon class following USDA Food Program guidelines. This is included not only for the nutritional value (fresh produce from local farmers/food pyramid considerations) but also for the social setting it provides. Conversation is encouraged and the children act as independently as possible, passing out the napkins and cups, pouring their own drink, spreading peanut butter, or cheese with a knife and cleaning their space after they are done. Children who are finished stay with the group and continue the conversation. Children do not have to eat everything but are encouraged to try new foods and taking “taster bites”. Food allergies are posted and visible by classroom and kitchen staff. Kitchen staff will post weekly menu. If parents would like to give input and/or participate in the development or execution of meal service to help increase awareness of family customs/traditions, we welcome a conversation.
Recent Successes and Current Challenges
Today we are facing bigger issues. The good news, we have continued over the last 48 years to provide quality early learning for children living in poverty, but (the need) as you will read we also are providing more support for the whole family in the hope of breaking the cycle of poverty. And we are seeing successful results.
All children possess abundant eagerness to learn. We know what it takes for children to succeed. We know what it takes to nurture children so they can be ready for school. We provide the atmosphere for active learning and Kindergarten readiness. We also find that active parental engagement and adequate family resources help the whole family grow.
The consequences of living in poverty are far-reaching. Stereotypes work against families and children of poverty to undermine their strengths and compromise their outcomes. We are here to see that these families with children get an equal opportunity to develop healthy practices and skills, to gain confidence and the same readiness to enter the world and Kindergarten as families/children from more affluent families. And now we are focusing on strengthening our Family Support Services to assure that the children have homes and families that are supportive and interested in their healthy growth and development of their own families.
Poverty is a strong predictor of challenges for children. So. Prospect Enrichment Preschool provides quality education for children living in poverty. For 48 years we have had children & families return to tell us of their successes and love of learning because of the great start they got here.
One success is helping move a single mom of three children off the street, into transitional housing, and is now enrolled at the Seattle University. She is active and participates in the following: Family Nights, ECEAP Health Services Advisory Council, and is a member of our Kindergarten Transition Group.