This week is the Week of the Young Child. Spend three minutes to see why we value pre-K at ACPS. Then celebrate with us as we count down the days of the week with our preschoolers.
Monday is Music Day
Through music, children develop math, language and literacy skills, all while having fun. In the ACPS Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) classrooms and Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) classrooms all children get the opportunity to explore music. Not only are the daily hello, weather and calendar sung each day, but they also get personalized music classes that fit the needs of the students in each class.
Tuesday is Taco Day to remind students to eat well
Cooking together connects math with literacy skills, science and more. With the rise in childhood obesity, it is also important to educate our children from an early age about the importance of eating well. Research shows that in the long term, students who attend preschool are less likely to face teenage pregnancy, face fewer issues as teenagers and earn more than their peers who do not go to preschool. The benefits of high quality preschool make a huge difference to students’ long-term success.
Wednesday is Work Together Day
Preschool is a very special experience for many of our young students. Many come from families where they are the only child at home and struggle with interacting with others when they first arrive at ACPS. Others benefit from a program that integrates neurologically typical students with students with disabilities. In the Early Childhood Special Education programs there are eight students with disabilities and four neurologically typical students. This not only encourages positive social relationships and gains across developmental domains, but also understanding, compassion and an acceptance of our diversity. Watch how well these students play together.
Thursday is Thinking Day
Teachers notice that students who have had VPI or ECSE experiences do better academically when they get to elementary school. They not only have the academic foundation but they also have the social foundation, are used to the routines and are comfortable in the learning setting. These students often become the leaders in the classroom and learn to help others.
Friday is Family Day
Engaging and celebrating families is at the heart of preschool. ACPS wants to make sure that our students have access to the wrap-around services they need in one easy place. Currently, some of the preschool classes have nurses, nursing assistants and speech language pathologists on the team, but all children need access to psychologists, social workers and services like Child Find.
Learn more about pre-K programs offered by ACPS on the ACPS Preschool web page.
Support the expansion and centralization of pre-K in Alexandria by writing to the City Council and speaking at the public hearing on April 16.