Educating preschoolers requires patience, enthusiasm and, most of all, a love for children.
Well, for the students at Clarkston High School, combine these characteristics to serve children in the Funshine Preschool program.
Clarkston High School offers a child development class broken into two semesters.
The first semester is the informative and text book portion, where students learn about child care, different levels in age groups for clarity, and how to educate and care for children. Once the students complete the first session, they use what they have learned in the classroom.
The students run the Funshine Preschool out of Clarkston High School. The preschool is nationally accredited and participating students earn credit through Oakland Community College.
‘This is my second year with the preschool,? said senior Alysia Robertson. ‘I changed my career choice to be a kindergarten and preschool teacher.?
The CHS students are responsible for every aspect of the preschool including: forming lesson plans, coordinating activities and working with the children on letters and numbers. Since there is a total of 100 CHS students enrolled, each preschool-aged child has the privilege of receiving personal attention.
Although the high school students run the show, they are under the supervision of high school development teachers, Linda Olechowski and Carol Klein.
‘These students learn how to work in a preschool and day care,? said Olechowski. ‘They are just learning to be teachers, but they are so wonderful and do an outstanding job.
‘This is an elective so these students are here because they want to be.?
Olechowski stresses to the students the importance of child care, and how many careers relate to child development. Funshine Preschool has been a running program for six years. The program offers many sessions including: a three-year-old program, a four-year-old program, mixed age group programs and others.
The preschool program is available during the school year. For more information on the Funshine Preschool program, contact Margie Ried, director of preschool programs for Clarkston, at 248-674-3143.