If, by chance, you are sitting in class and happen to look out the window to find a group of children blowing bubbles or sketching artwork on the sidewalk, do not be alarmed. This is a normal activity for Westborough High School’s preschool program run by Ms. Daniela Plant.

And how fortunate are we to have such an experienced teacher with us? Ms. Plant’s ambitions in teaching have been prevalent throughout her life, since an elementary teacher of her own inspired her to pursue education. With this encouragement, she proceeded to follow her dream.

One thing is clear: we need not worry about our instructor’s expertise in the field. Graduating from Leslie University as an Education major and a minor in Human Development, Ms. Plant went on to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in early childhood education.

As students, we are very fortunate not only to have such a credible teacher with us, but also to have access to such a hands-on environment in our everyday courses. Ms. Plant believes that the community profits from the agenda, and the students are offered hands-on experience in an area they are interested in.

The teacher herself claims she has the “best of both worlds”: teaching teenagers every day, and spending time educating her favorite age group: preschoolers.

The benefits are undeniable!

Ms. Plant’s states the two essential “dual goals” of the program (which is made up of about ten children age two to five are:

To learn about children and how they develop, while the other is based on “career clarification and parenting skills” for the future. The children (or as the program refers to them “friends”) learn how to interact with each other in a new environment and how to become familiar with boundaries.

On a typical preschool day, friends are dropped off at 12:15pm and stay for about two hours until their parents pick them up. There are nine centers consisting of different areas of learning, (ex. science, math, and writing) and each high school student (about 10 total) is assigned one of them. Throughout the time, an activity is provided to help cultivate that area of development and keep the child entertained, as well.

A large part of the program is the use of daily planned activities that WHS students help foster. They focus on the four crucial pieces of learning: social, physical, emotional and cognitive.

Along with the educational aspects of growth, Ms. Plant is intent on ensuring that each child feels loved, safe, nurtured and supported by the surrounding environment.

Interested in becoming involved? The prerequisite for preschool is the child development course, also taught by Ms. Plant. After taking the course, students are encouraged to request a spot in the classroom from their guidance counselor.

From experience as a student in the course, I can speak to the rewards. As a full year course, the preschool program is definitely worth checking out if you are pondering thoughts of education in the future. This is a fun class that not only breaks up the normal classroom routine, but also serves as valuable hands-on experience.