In Royse City ISD, the Head Start program has focused on serving three-year-olds while the Pre-K program focuses on serving the four-year-olds. Less than a year in, this approach has already proven to be beneficial for the development of their students.
“I was really excited,” shared Head Start teacher Alysia Vaughn. “My kids have grown a lot since the first day. I’ve been able to watch them grow and see them tell me what their name is or what they need. Some of them are nonverbal and want to do sign language so they have started doing sign language. One of my nonverbals is actually talking now. We've also been able to potty train a student. I think it's really cool to see the development of the kids.”
For Vaughn, the value of the transition lies in the structure it has provided her classroom.
“I think the transition has provided the kids with a really good structure,” Vaughn shared. “In today's society, I don't think kids play with each other. Being able to get them to move around while having them do the same kind of activities every day, playing with their friends and going outside. I think it's great for them.”
As a first-year teacher, Vaughn has also learned to give her students the ability to choose the activities that interest them.
“For me, teaching three-year-olds requires kind of letting go and letting them take the reins on what they need from me. Some of them love the blocks, some of them like to do more hands-on activities, and some love to join me at the teacher's table,” she explained. “At first, we did the centers where I would switch them around. Now we let them go and pick what they are interested in that day.”
For Glenda Arnold Pre-K Curriculum Coordinator Kristin Weichel, the transition has also provided social-emotional benefits for the students by strengthing their relationship with the teacher.
“In Royse City, we strongly believe in right relationship building, if they trust the teacher, and they have they feel secure at school, they're going to want to do more with her and for her,” Weichel said. “We're also trying to help them do all the pre-reading readiness and oral language.”
For Weichel, seeing the growth of the children as a result of this new approach has been a highlight all on its own.
“To be on the ground floor here with the children, you see the lives changing, and you see the growth,” she shared. “It almost makes me tear up when I talk about it.”