PRE-SCHOOLS START YOUNGSTERS ON THE ROAD TO LEARNING

Children get a head start on their education in pre-school today, learning everything from shapes and colors to how to share and play together.

That schooling comes through pre-school programs. There are a number of such programs in Cape Girardeau. Some are operated as part of day-care centers while others are strictly pre-schools.

"A pre-school can have day care attached, but its primary purpose is teaching and preparing a child for school," said Janie Meyer, director and owner of the Cape Girardeau Montessori School.

The school serves about 50 children, ages 2-6.

Children in all those age groups have "alphabet studies."

"We've got a big, movable alphabet that they can interact with," said Meyer. "There are many different ways of presenting letters or numbers or memory exercises that are fun for the children."

For the younger children, the learning is done in short segments. Two-year-olds may learn about the alphabet three times a day in three-minute increments.

Children in the Montessori School learn more than English. "We do Spanish and that's a fun thing," said Meyer.

"There are a lot of pre-reading exercises in the Montessori program as well as math."

Meyer said there's nothing wrong with children spending their first few years of life at home. "If a child has an opportunity to stay at home, I think that is fantastic."

But she said that in today's society, often it's not possible for children to stay at home all day because both parents work.

Outside-the-home schooling has its benefits. "Children (in pre-school) are more comfortable away from home," she noted.

"I think when they go on to school they have already learned a lot of the different skills that are required of them," said Meyer.

"They can do reading; they know some math. They have an excellent background."

Children who have spent their first few years at home can benefit from even a half-day program during that last year before they go to kindergarten, Meyer said.

Learning to share and get along with other children is a key part of such pre-schooling, said Kaye Hamblin, director of the KinderCare center in Cape Girardeau. The center is both a day-care and pre-school facility.

At KinderCare, pre-school learning actually starts with the toddlers, beginning when they are about 14 or 15 months of age.

"They do the finger play, they have artwork, they start learning colors and shapes," said Hamblin. "They do puzzles, sing songs and listen to books. They love to listen to books."

KinderCare has an enrollment of about 100 children. Some of the youngsters are there all day, but others are there just part of the day.

"There are a lot of parents who are not working who do put their child in a pre-school, maybe just a few mornings a week so they have the experience of being with other children, being in a classroom setting," said Hamblin.

For 2-year-olds, the learning involves a weekly theme. One week, for example, the kids would learn about farm animals and do artwork and other activities centered around that theme.

"Reading to children is probably the most important thing to do to get them ready for school," advised Hamblin. "It gives them a good vocabulary background and gets them to enjoy reading."

In the class for 4-year-olds, the youngsters are exposed to children's literature. "It starts developing their listening skills and their comprehension," she explained.

"The 4-year-olds do more with writing letters, writing their names, and more math and things like that," said Hamblin.

In many ways, pre-school is becoming almost a necessity, said Kathy Moore, a teacher at The Christian School for the Young Years in Cape Girardeau. The school has an enrollment of 100-120 kids, ages 2-5.

"I think a child needs to go to pre-school, not just for the socialization skills but because the (kindergarten) teachers are expecting it," said Moore.

The learning process also involves play time. "They learn a lot through play. Sometimes there is too much stress put on the learning and not enough on the play," she said.

At Westminster Christian Pre-School, operated by Westminster Presbyterian Church, enrollment is limited to children ages 3-5.

Children who have turned 3 by July 1 are enrolled in the early childhood program. Those who have turned 4 by July 1 are enrolled in the pre-kindergarten program, said the school's Carol Dean.

The youngsters are enrolled either in the three-hour morning or three-hour afternoon classes. Some children are enrolled in twice-a-week classes, while others attend three days a week.

As a church-run program, the Bible is part of the curriculum. "We teach them Bible songs. We teach them how to behave toward each other," said Dean.

"Part of the socialization is how to treat people," she said. "We hope they go on in life knowing the very basics that God loves them and God wants them to do good things."

Dean said pre-school gets kids started on the road to learning and "trying to do things for themselves."

Simple tasks like learning to hang up one's coat is a lesson in self reliance, she said. "I think what a lot of parents want when they send a child to pre-school is for a child to get some independence."