Kailianah “Kai” Aburto-Rosado paints while in Whitney Curtis' pre-K class at Cedar Hill Elementary.
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Alabama pre-K programs ranked among the nation’s best
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BY LISA SAVAGE
4-year-old boy pulled a headset over his ears as he watched a cartoon on an iPad. One of his classmates sat nearby, playing a game on another device.
As the two students were focused on the educational technology, another girl painted with watercolors on a large drawing pad draped over an easel. Two other students dressed up, pretending in their roles as a police officer and a chef. Meanwhile, teacher Whitney Curtis used a smartboard to practice counting skills with another group of students. It’s a typical day in the pre-K classroom at Cedar Hill Elementary in Ardmore.
This pre-K teaching method is proven, which is evident in the classrooms daily, Curtis says. “The kids are learning through play,” she says. “The academic skills are blended with play, and they don’t even know that they’re learning.” Students do a range of fun, educational activities throughout the day, while also learning how to walk in a line to the lunchroom, playground or library and get along. They also are taught to get along with others. The goal is to help establish a daily routine, says Marsha Perry, an auxiliary teacher in Curtis’ classroom. “They’ve never had to walk in a line, and they’re learning to follow directions,” she says. By the time pre-K students start kindergarten, they hit the ground running. “They start learning right away,” Perry says.
SUCCESS IN NUMBERS
A.J. Baiz, left, and Hannah Moore use iPads to play educational games.
8 | January/February 2019
Alabama’s pre-K has topped national rankings for 12 years. The first pre-K program in the state started in 2000 with one classroom, and now there are more than 1,000 classrooms. This is the first year to have at least one pre-K classroom at all eight elementary schools in Limestone County, says Julia Wall, coordinator of the elementary curriculum and director of the office of school readiness for pre-K in the county. “That’s a huge accomplishment,” says Wall, who sought new grants to add the last two schools this year. Ardmore Telephone Company
