Cassie Simpson, who is the YMCA Oakville Pre-K director, holds her 3-year-old son Silas, who is one of the students, on Monday afternoon in Oakville.
Oakville Preschool is officially up and running.
Last Wednesday, the YMCA of Grays Harbor opened a Pre-K in the Oakville School District. This is the district’s first Pre-K program, and is currently the only Pre-K or daycare within city limits.
“When students come in without Pre-K, the teacher is having to start all the way back to how to hold a crayon, or a pencil, or how to sit in a chair,” said Oakville School District Superintendent Rich Staley. “… That transition that Pre-K provides for kids is that ability to get used to what it’s like to be at school in general.”
The program came from a collaboration between Grays Harbor Community Foundation, a nonprofit that benefits youth in Grays Harbor, the YMCA in Hoquiam and the Oakville School District.
“The kids seem to be doing really well adapting to being at school, rather than being at home,” said Cassie Simpson, YMCA Oakville Pre-K director, and a paraeducator who works with students. “The first day, no one cried for being dropped off, or anything. … some of them do not want to go home at the end of the day.”
The program serves 3- and 4-year-old children, and began on Oct. 10. There are currently 11 students in the program, but there is still room for more students to enroll this year.
“The week before we started, we had quite a few parents come in and sign up, and I have a few that are interested now,” Simpson said.
There are also scholarships and funding available for families. Parents can get funding through the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP), Grays Harbor Foundation, Working Connections Child Care (WCCC) as well as scholarships through the YMCA. The district and Simpson work with parents on the funding.
The first week of school was a half day of Pre-K. The full days, which are from 8 a.m. until 2:45 p.m., are set to begin Tuesday. The district releases students at 1:30 p.m. on Fridays.
“Right now we start in the morning,” Simpson said. “They will come in and attempt to sign their name in on a little sheet of paper. They wash their hands and we have breakfast, just as school starts for the main school.”
Simpson said that after breakfast, students come together and the group discusses what the day entails.
“We have a question of the day,” Simpson said. “They get to look and find their name, and put it on the board to help recognize their own name and their friends’ names. We do a book, or a movement activity, at that time as well.”
The first half of the day also includes free choice, where kids choose what to play with in the room, playtime outside in a fenced grassy area and a school-provided lunch.
“The kids love to be like a big kid at the lunch table,” Simpson said.
The second half of the day is more like daycare. Simpson said that students transition into rest time after lunch and quiet activities to reinforce some of the academics students learned in the morning. There is a second outdoor activity and another group meeting.
The Pre-K will enroll students throughout the year. Parents can call the YMCA in Hoquiam or the district to enroll their child. Simpson said it takes a day to register families, and that students can begin school the following day. To contact Simpson directly about visiting the classroom, parents can call her at 360-986-8033.
“The kids are doing great and we still have spots to fill,” Simpson said. “We would love to fill them, so if anyone is really interested, just wants to come look at our classroom, meet the teachers, they are more than welcome to call and set up a time to do that.”
