Educational Insights: March 17, 2008
March 17, 2008
Connections and cooperation are critical to a rural school district’s success today more than ever before. The future of this community is directly correlated to its positive relationships with all county entities. Garden County School (GCS) are extremely fortunate to have such a partnership with the local Volunteer’s of America (VOA). Local youth continually benefit from the efforts of VOA staff and programs. Just last week, all the stops came out in support of our VOA preschool! It is highly evident that this community recognizes the need for this invaluable program based on support shown at the recent style show.
GCS currently contracts with the VOA for early childhood services to serve our three and four year olds. Unfortunately, future grant funding for the preschool has come to an end. However, outside sources for this program are continually being sought. The prekindergarten through primary grades are the cornerstone of an educational system (Takanishi & Kauerz, 2008). They provide a strong foundation for children’s lifelong learning, educational excellence and eventual competitiveness in the marketplace.
The VOA preschool offers early childhood opportunities for all three and four year olds in the county. Head Start is also a key player in this effort. Families are provided support and education through their involvement. Transportation throughout the county is facilitated by the cooperation between the school district and VOA. Preschoolers can be picked up in Lisco and taken to the preschool bus pick-up locations at our local daycare facilities. The purpose of the preschool is to provide high quality early childhood experiences that assist children to reach their full potential and increase the likelihood of their later educational success.
The most recent state preschool program evaluation progress report revealed that “preschool children made significant gains in both language/literacy and math/cognitive skills.” (www.nde.state.ne.us/ECH/ECGrantProg.html) The majority of the preschoolers “scored above the national average on achievement tests in reading and math” in later years. This high quality early childhood educational environment is a result of mutual cooperation and commitment in this county. School-community partnerships enrich the education process for our youth.
Early intervention increases readiness and paves the way for life-long learning. The partnership includes the parents, Head Start, VOA, local child-care facilities, and the school district. By using multiple funding sources from each participating agency, the preschool program will continue to prepare all the district’s children for kindergarten. Extraordinary results are achieved by ordinary people when a common goal is shared! Thank you, Garden County, for your continued commitment to our most valuable resource: our children!
-Dr. Paula Sissel,
Superintendent/Elementary Principal
