By Baylee Knebel
“I just love little kids and teaching, watching them grow.”
’’Everyone in the class is so welcoming and kind, you just feel like you belong.’’
“I love seeing cute moments with the children. Seeing them laugh, play and smile is the most rewarding thing.”
These are just some of the words expressed by high school students who are a part of Delta’s preschool class. Students Addison Jacobs, Kamryn Whitesell and Abi Brown are all in agreement: the preschool is a fun place to be.
The preschool is a student-run class that occupies 12 kids, their ages ranging from 3 to 5 years old.
The high schoolers all agree that leading gym activities is one of their favorites, as well as leading a math small group where they get to make a stew using counting skills with the preschoolers.
To go through the admission process a child needs to be over the age of 2. They also have to be potty trained or at least almost done with potty training, they must fill out an application, and they need to have updated vaccinations and medical records.
Tuition is $50 per kid per semester so $100 overall for 36 weeks of child care. The reason that it is so affordable is because the preschool doesn’t have to pay utilities.
The tuition pays for snacks, craft supplies and disposable items that are used throughout the year.
Preschoolers are here during 3rd and 4th hour on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
Though the preschool is all student run, there is a teacher in charge, Mrs. Mackenzie Dye Conley. She was happy to learn and get the position here eight years ago.
“I was really excited to work with little kids and high school kids at the same time,” she said. “It is very much a balancing act.”
To become a part of this class you have to pass the first intro year – Principles of Early Childhood Education – and you also have to be able to fit it in your schedule because it is only being offered two class periods this year.
On paper you have to pass the intro class and then you have to enroll in the actual preschool class. An additional step to ensure safety of the preschoolers is that Dye Conley will check to make sure that none of the high school students have any behavioral issues that could endanger the preschoolers.
