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Assistant Managing Editor EAST LONGMEADOW As the back to school clock resets itself for the 2009-10 school year, parents of pre-school aged children will be deciding the best program to inspire the minds of their early learners. Inside East Longmeadow High School the Lil BIG Kids Nursery School program is designed to give children the early education that they need in a unique way: from other students. High schoolers, through the school's child development courses, have the opportunity to help foster the hunger for education in these youngsters by assisting in the nursery under the supervision of their teacher Denise Gauthier. Gauthier, who also oversees the nursery, said high school students help to set up thematic units and pre-schoolers respond positively to working with the teenagers. She said that both sets of students learn a great deal during their time together. "To interact with little children and see what they do is a great learning [system]," Gauthier said. The program, in its 12 year, seems to continue to increase in popularity each school year. In the 2008-09 school year, eight "little kids" and 16 "big kids" participated. Gauthier explained that the "big kids" come from a wide variety of field interests such as nursing and child psychology. They are able to work with the "little kids" through either the child development course or the child nursery management. Graduate Elizabeth Moirano took both courses during her senior year and had the rare luxury of being with the same students for back-to-back semesters. The opportunity gave her the chance to watch the students develop from September to June. Moirano had a past gig working at Giggle Gardens in Springfield, but she said she learned quite a lot about children and herself during her time at the Lil BIG Kids Nursery School. "You have to be strict with them but you can't let them think that you are being mean. You have to tell them right from wrong. You have to keep an eye on them and make sure that they're being respectful. At the end of the week we had to document certain behaviors of kids. We had to watch how they interacted with others," Moirano recalled. She worked in the nursery Tuesdays through Thursdays for 84 minutes a day. She said Gauthier was always encouraging of the high school students and taught them that it was best to motivate the "little kids" by being positive. Moirano, an aspiring cosmetologist, said if anything, "I'll know how to deal with my own kids. Dealing with [the students] really showed me how to handle things properly." Culinary Arts Teacher Mary Jane McMahon said the program reinforces many important educational ideals, including reading at a young age. McMahon along with Ellen Pieciul and Cheryl Eppolito helped bring the program to life in 1996. "High school students learn how to read aloud. It impresses on the high school students that this is the time kids need to learn to love to read and enjoy reading," McMahon said. There are also additional perks to being located inside the high school. Preschoolers are often exposed to additional learning from other teachers. There are occasions when students go into the band room and witness live band rehearsals, visits to the chemistry lab, choral rehearsals and activities with the physical education department. "It is a school within a school," McMahon said. Gauthier described the experience as a "circle of life" since various resources and age groups are represented in the classroom. There are 12 slots for the 2009-10 school year and half have been filled. Registration cost is $25 and the cost of the program is $200 for the year. For more information on Lil BIG Kids Nursery School, call 525-5460, ext. 214 or the East Longmeadow High School's main office at 525-5460. | ||||||
