vocational schools teach students hands-on education in different areas
and the lower Pioneer Valley educational collaborative
is no exception in a child care facility that gives students that combination of
learning and hands-on experience
the lower Pira Valley Early Learning Center is
also the first multi each classroom in Western Mass
where kids from six weeks to six years old are not separated
like they usually are and here to talk about the benefits and that's for the
student
in the kids in South we have Mary Beth play with the director
in the lead teacher along with Christina doesn't have an instructor at the Early
Learning Center
lady thank you so much for coming on board and talking to me about this is a
re n new setup I mean you guys are in your first year so we're right off the
bat going into that
have come out where the idea come from in how to get all started
actually am the idea came from art director and principal
at the lower pay near Valley career tech and he
ran what he tees he thought about it ran with it was excited about it
and able to actually accomplish what he wanted to do with an
of such a small time frame for something best
am this large I am to start a child care program to get into the chapter 70 for
peace as far as the high school
having high school students and if so
he was then I saw percent in town and they formed an advisory committee
and the Advisory Committee get I'm met
several times throughout the year preceding
am proceeding June when they started doing the higher going to the hiring
process
and so he they were and receive grants they
they've really work toward getting this opened and and a dead in
very quickly considering so they hired on
during July and aided engineering and and hired everyone to
to to the program we have am myself and then
danny has a teacher with me in the classroom and Christina
and and her clinical assistant at ambers others for a bus that
that did the that high school percent along with the day
that tightens man only when you think Oh a vocational school you're not thinking
I've
a child care facility a daycare you think ordinary art or salon are
automotive or
something out so this said different venue in Aggieville of opportunities for
the students
it does it at that that was what was so exciting
is it's very different and I'm not %eh an aspect of it it's the first one in
Western Mass
so any questions we even come up with and
as far as anybody we speak with that in the EC
her and early education and care for the stay and
a lot of times for well that's a good question
you know it from its own uno so what we want to make it
something that's a model of program for others to
to follow and so what we're doing is really trying to
do use best practices to what we're certainly am the best that we can do
and follow the state's am standards know we're going to get into the mall tight
age level because you guys combined six-week week
old all the way up to six years old a nap often you don't see that often so
we're gonna get into
the first I get you Christina how it's so greenmail
how does it feel your out there instructing other teaching
how that Cal that feeling I'm it's been really exciting to see the kids
reactions the
the students the students are so excited to get started I'm
we have it's a three year program so gastric cancer either as freshmen or
sophomores
so the way vocation on a half million are occasional on there's an aspect of
exploring
so they choose several different shops to go for exploratory period to see how
they fit
so for our freshmen they choose five different shops and spent three weeks in
each other shops to get a really good feel for what they're gonna be expecting
the workload the homework
the Hanvon all that type of stuff so our freshmen are still exploring
we've had it for around so far with eastern time each round one more round
to go after this though it had almost fifty students come through exploratory
i'm for the sophomores if they come in a sophomore pictures 3
and then they explore those three shops for three weeks and we have to that have
chosen as permanently that are now or permit students working
in the Tucker center with be little ones and doing their classroom stuff so
its pen fast-paced and really just really exciting it's been exciting for
us and it's been really exciting to see the excitement on the student spaces and
they're just
really gung-ho and that's exciting to see especially because this is so bring
you we were talking about that
you just had your open house just last week but my past week left Tuesday night
we had an open house
and turnout was wonderful so we have
right now we have an to students to children so we
can have up to 10 so we're looking for those other 8 and now
read it was a great open house there's am a lot of interest and
we're hopeful that that we'll get to that ten
very quickly absolutely I'm sure as people find out that
this is around this is available people want to take advantage
this opportunity now another very interesting aspect that this
is the multi olds element here
you're having children from six weeks to six years old all in that scene
setting and you don't often see yet why is this importer and
for you guys well it's important in the fanfare and
offers the high school students the chance to the opportunity to
work with each age group and Ben toddlers and preschoolers
so then they have the ability to be am certified teachers
when if there's life if I felt hours necessary they've had that interaction
and fill those hours through am with infants and toddlers
and preschoolers so it they have a little bit more have an opportunity
there
and and of though it just makes for a while
more well-rounded teacher in the long run you know I'm
said that's what I don&39t know anyway benefits how does that help
the students that are learning with all these different age group
I think one of the benefits as everybody having age group but they're really
really love
and one that they're just don't necessarily feel as comfortable with
um for me it was always infants and toddlers and thats
happen to be where I started out when I was doing my training and then when they
said okay to some field work in the preschool you figure piece a cake I've
been working with kids for a couple years now
whole different ballgame on and for me I didn't really get to interact with kids
until I was in college and that's what led me to do my degree and these kids
get to do this
beforehand they get to do this during high school a lot of them come in
knowing they wanna be teachers
others know they want to work with kids in some capacity we've had several
better
they know they want to be in the medical field but they know they want to work
with kids too so there's been sort of the pull between help assisting in the
EC in which is going to be more beneficial
but I think the most important part is even during exploratory they get some
hands-on experience they get to see kids they get to hear them they get to
interact a little bit
and that's really what pushes you one way or the other I've had since the come
in and say I'm just exploring this company to pick five shops in the sounds
better than
another shopping I go into and then they leave thing I think I might come back
this was better than I expected
and then you get the exact opposite where people say I really but this is
what I wanted to do and then it got a little overwhelming and maybe if not for
me
so it's fantastic to be able to have that experience that 1415
the other nice thing to do is even if they aren't dement doing exploratory
it they're learning someday they're going to have little ones in their lives
either either at Albion ankles mom's dad
there are going to be children and their lives and that gives them
sum up the skills that will really benefit them
you know in the future whether they to that or not it still
in some form going to benefit them and it's not as benefiting the students as
they're learning
and getting a hands-on and education its also anything the kids themselves
although you normally wouldn't think oh that's going to put a six-week-old with
a six year old
but is also hoping maybe them siblings that shouldn't be separated
talk about the benefits that its percent in for the children
and are there are several I mean as you just said that
set their siblings that for different have
in a variety of reasons might need to be together whether they're going through
and
you know some emotional turmoil homer
there's just circumstances that sometimes would be it would be more
beneficial for them to stay together
and and your I'm your center based program most the time they're split up
the stars you have and fan
class aren't under classmen preschool classroom and so
they arrive at the program together and their part the part and and that can be
traumatic for them
so best enable them to be together in the same classroom
and and tip still have that bond and look out for each other and
it ever really is something that emotionally as
is a benefit to them what some where there any safety concerns I immediately
think my mind almost six years gonna be rambunctious running around and
kinda pushing things out the way or you guys kind of went
with that the classroom up am it's a large classroom
I'll n/a set up to as mark most classrooms are
into centers and a variety of activities
I'm throughout the classroom however with we did make sure that
you know where you have to crabs for the and fence and around
another area is just our library in our cozy corner and
anything that's more quiet and softer and
left act activity will be taking place
we put that near that area and then as you filter away from
thing it be quiet area and the library then you start getting to your blacks in
your dramatic play in
and your art activities so we really fed up with all that in mind
and n even any each Center we need a variety
fam I've a materials
so that you have here your top there's there are going to have different names
and band your preschoolers and we still need to have those materials accessible
to each
age group so we have certain things that are
in back then in and the clear boxes but the leads are more difficult to get off
and so they're accessible for the preschooler
and most likely that the toddler will get into our you do healthy
hear them hell yeah certain precautions but in place just because you do you
have all these children
and wide open space bar as the children grow up in get bigger and
as your organization grows and gets bigger you guys you're in your first
year some sure you guys you can get bigger and bigger as more
students come on board it's gotta be exciting thank you ladies may bad thing
Christina for talking to us about this
thank you