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| Daycare II teacher, Ms. Terri, works with several students on mathematics concepts. |
Wendy Brenner’s son, Lucas, is currently in the Daycare II program and will be starting kindergarten in the fall. His brother Eric attended the Y’s program previously and is now a kindergartener in Greenville Schools.
“The Y’s program is fabulous. It’s just great. I couldn’t imagine a better place for them to get a good foundation for their education,” Brenner said.
Brenner said that she was pleasantly surprised to learn that both boys did very well on the assessment that incoming kindergarten students take before the start of the school year. She said Eric placed 10th overall, across the entire incoming kindergarten class.
“The Y does a great job preparing them for the school environment,” she said.
Students in the Y’s program learn how to tell time, count, practice the alphabet, and learn to recognize letters, shapes, and sight words such as “the,” “and,” “in,” and “out.” They learn basic problem-solving skills through hands-on examples, such as using fun objects to practice adding and subtracting in a visual, more easily understood manner. There is daily story time, where children are involved in the reading by answering questions and discussing their favorite parts of the books. The children learn the importance of following rules and regulations, working together as a team and individually, being kind to other classmates and their teachers, communicating with one another, and learning to compromise.
While outside play and physical activity are part of every preschool curriculum, students at the Y have some unique opportunities, such as year-round access to our indoor pool for swimming and water play, and also regular visits to our gymnastics area.
Brenner also noted that her boys enjoyed learning both tennis and golf skills during their time at the Y.
“They see adults working out, too, and it sets a good example for them,” she added.
Additionally, The YMCA Daycare II teachers find creative ways to educate the children while allowing time for other fun activities such as yoga, free play, and outdoor playtime, especially at the Y’s playground. Students are given many sensory experiences, such as seeing how different textures –sand, leaves, pine cones, and rocks—feel. They learn the difference between living and non-living organisms in the environment, study Ohio’s varying weather patterns, and do pre-K level science experiments. At the Y, children are encouraged to explore and discover the world around them while experiencing a well-rounded Pre-Kindergarten education.
For more information about our childcare and preschool program, contact Nikki Nealeigh at 548-3777 or at nnealeigh@ymcadarkecounty.org. You can visit us online at www.ymcadarkecounty.org.