In the shadow of Gorham High School,
Gorham Cooperative Preschool teaches a whole new generation of students,
preparing them for kindergarten. The preschool is owned and run by a group of parents
with children in the program. There are two paid teachers and a board made up
of parents who handle the school finances, cleaning and maintenance. They
generally stay on the board for two years until their child graduates from the
program.
“They really do keep the school moving
and going,” said head teacher Mary Mathieson. Recently the board changed the
curriculum and the programs being offered. “Everyone really has a say,” she
said. The co-op started in January of 1968, with a group of parents who wanted
quality education for their children and wanted to be involved in their
learning. The program has evolved over the years, but the core of quality
education and involved parents hasn’t changed.
“We have some great families,” said
Mathieson. “People make lifelong friends here, not just the kiddos, the
parents, too.”
The curriculum is a developmental
play-based program with each part of the day broken into segments where the
students have time to explore different areas of the classroom like dramatic
play, art, fine motor skills and the sensory table. There is also small group
time where volunteers and teachers do specific activities based around themes.
“It’s very hands on,” said Mathieson.
Each class has circle time, where they work on pre-learning skills like sitting
in a circle, learning letters, numbers and raising hands. They also have story
time, snack time and play outside in the fenced in yard.
The students enjoy the sensory table
filled with a rotating material like sand, rice and beans. “They love building
in the block area, the art center where there are no guidelines, or playdough.
The dramatic play area changes with the theme from a pet hospital, kitchen
area, space station. They also love our playground,” Mathieson said. She also
mentioned that volcanos are always a hit.
The center is unique because each parent
helps in the classroom. They get involved with the kids and the activities. New
this year, Gorham Cooperative Preschool is offering an opt-out program. For a
fee, parents who have to work or can’t volunteer can choose this option. “It’s
not that they don’t want to help. They have to work. We want to be inclusive
and open up to all types of families,” said Mathieson.
“We spend a lot of time getting to know
our students and getting to know them as individuals. We focus on the whole
child,” she said.
For 10 years, Gorham Cooperative
Preschool has been at its present location at 28 Ball Park Road in Gorham.
There are programs for children ages three to five. The program for 3-year-olds
takes place on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and the second
session is from 12 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Four-year-olds have preschool on
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. There is also a full
day program for 4-year-olds getting ready for all day kindergarten, where the
children attend school from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Mondays and Fridays.
The final program is a combined 3- and
4-year-old class on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 12 p.m. to 2:30
p.m. To enroll, the child must be 3 years old by October 15. The teachers
prefer the children are potty trained, but will work with them. Children with
disabilities or who work with CDS are welcome and occupational or speech therapies are available during class time for those children who need it.
“We foster children socially,
academically and emotionally,” said Mathieson. “We want them to feel good about
themselves, learn how to ask for help and have good self-esteem.”
Children come from Gorham and all surrounding
towns including Windham.
No comments:
Post a Comment