Teresa B. Oliver, Craig County Child Care Center Director, working with young children.
Teresa Oliver
Contributing writer
The Craig County Child Care Center’s preschool class is getting an extra boost of reading skills. The childcare center, through a partnership with Smart Beginnings Roanoke Valley, has welcomed, Amanda Tribbett, Literacy Consultant. Ms. Tribbett comes weekly to work with the preschool age class to help prepare them for kindergarten. The class is learning pre reading and writing skills as well as helping develop small motor skills and a vast aray of other pre-kindergarten skills.
The teacher in that class, Ms. Lisa Via, reinforces skills daily, while Ms. Tribbett introduces new concepts and ideas each week. The children love the new “helper” and enjoy all the fresh ideas.
The Craig County Child Care Center voluntarily participates in the Smart Beginnings program. The program affords the center curriculum training, staff development opportunities, access to PAL’s testing and resources, to name just a few.
Later in the year we will be able to compare the children’s PAL’s scores from the fall to those in this spring. We are very optimistic that we will see great improvement. We have already noted measurable developmental improvements when we reassessed them this January.
We feel confident that the children entering kindergarten this fall will be well prepared. Studies indicate that children that enter kindergarten academically prepared and social adjusted are more successful in their school careers.