Chatfield Public School provides strong learning opportunities for our youngest children and their families. ECFE offers parent-child classes on Tuesday evenings and Wednesday mornings. Parents and children begin by playing and exploring together. The Early Childhood Educator engages our little ones (and their parents) with stories, songs, fingerplays and more. Parent education is provided in person, and often virtually, as well.
Preschool provides learning experiences for our 3- to 5-year-old students – helping them prepare for kindergarten and more. Our program believes in learning through play. Peek in a preschool classroom and you will see children playing in a variety of centers, doing art projects, singing, dancing, creating, laughing, and growing! The strength of the Chatfield preschool program is the staff. Our teachers are all licensed educators. The entire staff is onboard because they love helping little ones grow and learn.
A year ago, the Chatfield Early Childhood program was awarded a $15,000 grant for Social Emotional Learning (SEL). The funds were used for the “Let’s SEL It” campaign. Thank to this funding early childhood teachers and staff received training in social-emotional learning. Preschool classrooms now use a curriculum and resources to support SEL activities. Parents of young children received a packet containing easy-to-use resources to help them navigate the emotional rollercoaster young children often experience. The goal of this campaign was to help our little ones manage emotions, develop self-regulation skills, and discover ways to handle the challenges they will face as they continue to grow and interact with the world around them. In addition, efforts were made to ensure that the preschool classrooms were warm, welcoming environments. We want all our preschoolers to know that they are truly a part of our preschool family.
The Chatfield Preschool Program continues to achieve the 4-Star Parent Aware rating. Therefore, financial assistance is available through the state’s early learning scholarship funding. Be sure to ask for a scholarship application when registering for preschool.
Families interested in the ECFE or preschool will find information on the school website chatfieldschools.com. Families may also contact LuAnn Klevan, Community Education Director, at (507)867-4521, ext. 5022.