By: Hillary Cook-Harris
For Week of the Young Child Work Together Wednesday, we are going to visit Nashold Early Childhood Center, home of the Nashold Bears. Inside the walls of this building you will find a dedicated staff that puts the needs of the students and families first.
Teachers and Paraprofessionals are planning engaging activities for the students and sharing ideas and practices with each other. All staff in the building have a hands-on approach to meeting the needs of all the students throughout the day. The students don’t belong to classrooms, but belong to the community of Nashold. A positive work environment supports a positive staff culture where staff are excited about working together and celebrating the day to day accomplishments.
This year a staff committee has planned different activities to support the building culture and relationships which included potluck celebrations, hallway decorating contests, Spirit Weeks, and writing notes of encouragement to each other. Working together is not just an adult skill, but also an important part of the preschool learning experience. Students have opportunities throughout the day to work with other students and adults in a variety of activities and settings.
Students also learn how to problem solve when they encounter social problems. Principal Julie Chandler talks about supporting students when they are learning how to problem solve in a safe and nurturing environment, “The Pyramid Model is something we use as a social emotional framework. There are many times throughout the day when students will work together to solve social problems. All classrooms have a set of problem solving cards. Teachers use these problem solving skills throughout the day, teaching the skills when students are in a calm state of mind to use when conflicts arise. For example, when two students have a problem because they want to use the same item, they can look at the visuals and work together to decide together that they will use a timer to give one student a turn of five minutes, and when the sand runs out, it is the other friend’s turn to use the material.”
Teamwork and working together is one of the key practices that makes Nashold Early Childhood Center a great place for learning!
Interested in learning more about the RPS205 Early Childhood opportunities for families with children Birth-age 5? Visit https://www.rps205.com/o/rps/page/early-childhood or call the Early Childhood Screening and Placement Office at 815-229-2103.