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Wild Thing |
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As part of the Ready Set Read Grant program from Target the Preschoolers
at the EEC were treated to a visit from the original "Wild Thing." The
children enjoyed reading the story Where the Wild Things Are in
their classrooms before the "Wild Things" visit and the children
enjoyed visiting with the Wild Thing.
Lots of high fives and hugs for the Wild Thing.
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Prissy the Raccoon Visits the EEC |
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A staff member at the EEC is fostering her for WRANPS (Wildlife Rehabilitation and Nature Preservation Society) and brought her to show the EEC family. |
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Celebrating Dr. Suess's Birthday |
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The Preschool class enjoyed guest readers and making their own Dr. Suess birthday cake in celebration of Dr. Suess's birthday. |
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“Today you are You, that is truer than
true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” |
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Kindergarten Readiness/Literacy Parent Workshop |
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| The Early Education Center's Preschool parents attended a workshop offered by the Bay St. Louis-Waveland School District's Parent Liaison, Sharon Sutherlin on the evening of March 4, 2010. The workshop title was "Getting Ready for Kindergarten-Importance of Literacy Skills". Parents learn how they can support literacy learning at home to better prepare their child to enter kindergarten in the fall. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Pen-Pal Visits with Students |
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| Anna Lesser from Boston , Massachusetts visited the 4 year old Pre-K class at The Early Education Center on Monday, February 22. Anna became pen pals with the class during the 2009-10 school year. She was introduced to The Early Education Center by her mother Pam who had worked extensively in the Waveland area following Hurricane Katrina. Students had an opportunity to visit with Anna and get to know her personally. They shared new letters they had written and were able to ask her questions about living in Boston. It was a special treat for the Pre-K students to get to meet their pen pal. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Importance of Early Literacy |
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| On Monday, December 14, 2009 Sharon Sutherlin of the Bay St. Louis-Waveland School District Parent Center shares with EEC parents about importance of early literacy and shows parents available educational supplies and information that can be checked out at the Parent Center | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ready, Set, Read |
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| The Early Education Center received the Target Early Childhood Reading Grant. Ready, Set, Read focuses on connecting children ages 6 weeks through 5 years with literature through a print-rich learning environment, parent/student literacy events, and the opportunity to access a wide array of literature. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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FEA Members Visit Early Education Center |
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| The Bay High School Future Educator's Association visited the 3 and 4 year old classes at The Early Education Center to share Eric Carle's , The Hungry Caterpillar after reading the story with the children the FEA students assisted the classes in completing a butterfly art project. Both high school students and EEC students enjoyed their time together. The FEA is under the direction of Ms. Stacy Pate. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Guest Reader from Wal-Mart |
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| Three Year Old Classroom at the EEC was surprised during
snack on October 8th. Ray Cox from the Waveland Wal-Mart joined them to
read The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Each child also received a pack of crayons and a color page of the Hungry Caterpillar compliments of Wal-Mart. |
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Bippo the Hippo visits The Early Education Center |
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The Three and Four Year Old preschool classes at The Early Education
Center had a surprise visit from Bippo the Hippo.
Bippo shared with the children the importance of keeping our teeth and gums healthy and clean. Bippo even demonstrated the proper way to brush your teeth. The children enjoyed singing and dancing along with learning about keeping our teeth healthy. |
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Sand Boxes with Gazebos |
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The EEC now has two wonderful sand boxes with gazebos. Courtsey of the
Help and Hope Foundation and the hard work of generous dads and
granddads of children in the center. Charno's Nursery helped out by
delivering and spreading the sand. We are so excited about these
wonderful additions to the center's playgrounds.
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Doughnuts with Dad |
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The EEC held a special day for Dad's. Doughnuts with Dad was held the
Friday before Father's Day, Granddad's, dad, uncles and special men in
our children's lives had the opportunity to spend time with their
special little one over fresh hot doughnuts from Nella's Doughnuts.
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Mother's Day Tea |
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The EEC held a Mother's Day tea to celebrate our special Moms.
Everyone enjoyed the cookies and tea as well as the special
presentations given by the children.
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Sun Safety |
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Dr. Helene Hadden presented Sun Safety to the preschool classes at the
EEC. The children learned different ways to say Sun Safe while outside.
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Making Easter Eggs |
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Stretch-n-Grow |
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Stretch-n-Grows Coach Laurie McCarty visits the EEC to present the
basics of proper exercise, nutrition and good health to the Preschool
Classes. Students at the EEC had a wonderful time stretching, marching
and exercising to fun music while working together to build strong
muscles and bodies.
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Center Jump-Starts Kids' Learning |
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Programs help prep for school |
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| - mmscallan@sunherald.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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WAVELAND -- The 3-year-olds at the Early Education Center here have
set up a grocery store, and the 4-year-olds have set up a restaurant,
making it seem like the youngsters already understand the concepts of
supply and demand.
That's part of the goal at the center - to follow a curriculum and make sure students are ready for school. Early-childhood centers are a growing trend across the country in which public school districts provide day-care services for parents, as well as preparing toddlers for kindergarten.
In South Mississippi these centers began opening after Hurricane
Katrina, which destroyed many private day-care centers. School
districts were able to get grants to open preschools.
The center in Waveland is part of the Bay-Waveland School District. It opened Oct. 1, thanks to a grant from Chevron as part of the Mississippi Hurricane Recovery Fund. "Research has shown that preschool gives kids a good foundation for education for the rest of their lives," said Principal Donna Torres. The center accepts children from 6 weeks to 4 years old. Each age group has its own section indoors, as well as a playground outdoors for the toddlers. The center can hold 70 children and currently has 17, but adds more students every week. The Pass Christian School District received the same grant; Superintendent Sue Matheson hopes that early-childhood center will open in late spring or early summer. The Pass Christian center will be part of a larger campus that includes the Boys & Girls Club, an elementary school, a middle school and an administration building, as well as a courtyard. Like the one in Waveland, this center also will take care of children from birth to 4 years old. "We've always said if we could get to the kids before kindergarten, we could better prepare them for school," Matheson said. Torres agreed. "At this age, they're discovering something new and learning something new every day," she said. "It starts an early foundation and it gives them vocabulary enrichment and social skills." The curriculum is called Project Learn. It is aligned with the state Department of Education, and most of the teachers have an associates degree or higher, Torres said. Those who don't are working to further their education. The center in Waveland is open from 6:45 a.m. until 5:30 p.m., and though parents pay tuition, the cost is in line with what private day cares charge, Torres said. The price is $500 to $550 a month, depending on the child's age. Those who work at the centers are employees of the school district. "Because we're associated with a school district, we're able to provide more for the employees as far as benefits and a higher pay scale," Torres said. |
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Date of Last Revision: Wednesday May 19, 2010 |
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