Can you believe we are already approaching the New Year? Durham PreK classrooms have been working hard this year to learn, develop social skills, and prepare for kindergarten! Teachers and directors have also been dedicated to their professional development goals to support their high quality practices. Let’s check out some highlights from a few of our Durham PreK centers!

At White Rock Child Development Center, Mrs. Gina and Ms. Kiana engaged students in a STEM lesson about foundational physics and mathematics ideas! Students made predictions about which ball would roll the fastest down the hallway, then they tested their hypothesis by rolling balls of different sizes and weights to see what really determined their speed! This introduced children to the scientific process of asking questions, making predictions, and testing for results. This kind of inquiry- and play-based learning is something Durham PreK values in each classroom. Click here to read more about learning in Durham PreK.

The students at White Rock Child Development Center and students at Randy’s Five Star Academy both learned about pumpkins to celebrate the fall. At White Rock, the children visited a pumpkin patch together and each picked out a pumpkin to decorate for the fall festival contest. At Randy’s Five Star Academy, students learned about the life cycle of pumpkins and turned their dramatic play station into a pretend pumpkin stand. Dramatic play is a classroom station that encourages imagination, creativity, and problem-solving around ideas or places children love – like the pumpkin patch!

In addition to our hard working teachers and students, we want to shout out a few of our dedicated directors! Directors Amy Boyette (Children’s Campus at Southpoint) and LaToya McCrimmons (Durham Public Schools) passed their Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) Observer training! CLASS is a classroom evaluation system Durham PreK uses to assess classroom quality and to inform professional development plans between teachers and their coaches (technical assistance specialists).

The last two years have been difficult for us all, including teachers, classroom assistants, directors, students, and families, but we are proud of the effort each and every one of them has put into providing quality care to all Durham PreK children and families.

We hope you have a happy holiday season!