Hempfield Area High School offers a unique program: a preschool for children ages three to five. The preschool operates every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday with children attending from the beginning of period two, 8:00 a.m., until around period four, 10:00 a.m.
Our Little Spartan Preschool is a program directed by Family Consumer Science teacher, Mrs. Stas. Together with her Child Development students, she instructs preschool aged students as they prepare to enter kindergarten.
The individualized way of learning provided to each child in the program helps to promote curiosity, creativity and early academic readiness. The program has been extremely successful over the years attracting high school students and families within our Hempfield Area community as well.
“The curriculum integrates STEM, English Language Arts, and social-emotional learning through play-based and hands-on experiences. Because there is such a large high school student-to-preschool/child ratio, each preschooler receives personalized attention that supports their growth across all developmental domains—social, emotional, physical, and intellectual—while also preparing them for kindergarten.”
From the moment they arrive, the children are engaged in meaningful play and learning experiences that support their development in a nurturing environment.
The preschool also benefits high school students who participate as helpers. These students are enrolled in Child Development II and III and gain hands-on experience working with young children.
According to Stas, “the preschool provides high school students with authentic, hands-on teaching and caregiving experiences that bring child development theory to life.” She further emphasized the value in learning pedagogical skills, classroom management, and developmental observation techniques while applying physical, intellectual, emotional, and social growth of young children. “This practicum allows them to see how developmental milestones unfold in real time and helps them gain confidence, professionalism, and empathy—all essential qualities for anyone pursuing education, healthcare, human service careers, and the most important career…parenthood.”
Based on our observations, it is clear that the preschoolers love their interaction with the students who are part of the program.
The purpose of the program is twofold: to serve as a laboratory classroom for high school students exploring careers that involve children, and to provide a nurturing, developmentally appropriate preschool experience for young learners in our community. “It’s a model of community-to-classroom collaboration—connecting theory to practice and fostering meaningful intergenerational learning,” says Stas. The design of this program helps provide a developmentally appropriate preschool experience for the young learners involved.
Stas wants her students to leave the program with strong communication, leadership, and collaboration skills, as well as a deep understanding of child development and empathy for learners of all ages. Her goal is to teach responsibility, creativity, and adaptability, “skills that are valuable whether they become teachers, nurses, counselors, or parents someday,” she says.
“Most importantly, I hope they recognize the power of connection—the impact one caring, intentional educator can have on a child’s confidence and love of learning.” The early childhood development classes and preschool is a great way for students to learn important skills and gain an in-depth understanding of child development. The class structure and design can have a lasting impact on the students that partake in the course, as long as the students are open and willing to learn, listen, and grow.
Each morning, when the preschoolers arrive, a helper takes their coats, backpacks, and snacks. The children are then given toys like Play-Doh, rubber balls, trucks, or blocks to play with until 8:15 a.m. At that time, Mrs. Stas rings a bell to signal that it’s time to clean up. The children are taught to clean up after themselves, push in their chairs, and hand their toys to the helpers. This routine teaches them important life skills such as manners, responsibility, respect, and friendship.
After cleanup, they sing the morning song to welcome everyone and share one thing that’s on their mind or heart for the day. This builds a sense of community and encourages self-expression.
The group explores the letter of the day and color of the week. These kinds of activities keep the kids excited, included, and engaged while helping them learn through play. The children also participate in their structured lesson for the day keeping them active and promoting healthy movement, balancing learning with play.
Stas indicates that the transformation is the most rewarding part of the program. She loves seeing high school students who may begin the year unsure of themselves grow into confident, nurturing educators. “There’s a beautiful reciprocity that happens: the preschoolers look up to the high school students, and in return, the high school students realize how much they are learning from the children. Watching that mutual joy, patience, and growth unfold each day is what makes this program so special.”
Mrs. Stas enjoys watching the kids grow through learning, but also how special it is to see the high school students grow throughout the course as well. Her final thoughts certainly spoke volumes as she smiled and said, “I am truly grateful to have been given the opportunity to teach this course.”