By Kim McDarison

On a Wednesday morning earlier this month, Molly Fuller, “Flourishing First Steps” program coordinator, greeted 10 preschool-aged children and their caregivers as they arrived at the Early Childhood Center, a two-room learning facility housed within the School District of Fort Atkinson’s Purdy Elementary School.

Fuller, standing in the doorway of the facility, exuded an effervescent combination of warmth and excitement as each family crossed the threshold and was directed to a classroom within the center designed to intrigue children, ages birth to 3 years.

A second room accommodates “Mini Pre-K” students who are defined as children not yet old enough to attend 4-K.

Inside, Purdy Elementary School Early Childhood Special Education teacher Beth Nelson helped make families familiar with the dynamics of the birth-to-3 classroom, and engaged with children, as she smiled and conversed with each one.

The program, which kicked off on October 2, offers two classes, each held on Mondays and Wednesdays, over a three-week interval, including one designed for “Itty Bitty Pre-K” learners, defined as children, ages birth to 24 months old, and a second designed for “Mini Pre-K” learners, ages 25 months to 4 years.

In addition to her role as Flourishing First Steps coordinator, Fuller serves as a part-time special education aide at Purdy Elementary School. Nelson, she said, is responsible for developing the program’s curriculum.

Together, the women, over the course of a 45-minute period, watched and worked with children and caregivers as they explored — with aid from the women or independently — several stations, with each offering small children a fun activity, while additionally working to develop and strengthen a skill, or set of skills, children would one day need as they become learners in a traditional 4K through high school setting.

The program is free, and offered to “any child in any town,” Fuller noted in a news release introducing the program last month.

Within the earlier release, Fuller wrote: “These enrichment sessions will offer parents/caregivers and children the opportunity to learn a multitude of things through peer interaction, free play, sensory/art activities, and literacy. Children will have the opportunity to strengthen their skills through exploration, discovery, and creative experiences.

“Parents/Caregivers will have the opportunity to not only learn new and exciting ways to interact with their child/children during these sessions, but will be able to ask questions of our early childhood staff about developmental milestones.”  

On the month’s first Wednesday, which was the second class within the first session, children picked their own stations to explore, with caregivers and the two program facilitators following eagerly behind.

Fuller and Nelson watched the skills and interests displayed by each child, further encouraging them to find another station that would bring additional appeal and development.

Children moved from areas offering books and puppetry, to spaces filled with trucks and toys, built for interactive play. Many stations offered items with diverse and stimulating textures. Mothers with infants found each other or helped older children while the smallest participants absorbed the activity in the room.

Among opportunities for development and learning was a water table, which, signage at the station noted, “fosters cognitive development and can teach math and science concepts.”

Additionally, the station helps build motor skills and coordination, the sign noted.

A suggested use of the water table was to wash toy dishes or give a baby doll a bath, activities that, according to the station’s literature, “builds pretend play skills and self-help skills.”

Another station invited children to “play with scarves.” Working with scarves and cardboard tubes, Fuller engaged with learners as they developed fine motor skills by pushing a scarf through a tube, and increased their vocabularies, by learning “position words,” such as “on,” “under,” “over.”

After approximately 40 minutes of robust and interactive play, the children and their caregivers gathered to listen to a story read by Fuller.

Parents left the room armed with new ideas about how to interact with the children and literature explaining the deeper value of each station, and ways they can create a similar experience at home.

Fort Atkinson’s Flourishing First Steps program was opened for registration in September. Mere hours after registration opened, the first three-week session, including both age-related program sections, filled, Fuller said.

Each class is able to accommodate 12 children.

While the first session will soon complete, a new set of classes will open Monday, Oct. 30, and run through Wednesday, Nov. 15.

Registration for the three-week session, including both age brackets, opens tomorrow.

A third session is scheduled to begin Monday, Nov. 27.

To register for the program, visit the following link: fortschools.org/firststeps.

All sessions will be held at Purdy Elementary School, 719 S. Main St., Fort Atkinson.

The program requires that a parent or caregiver remains in the room with their child/children for the duration of each session.

For more information about the program, contact Fuller by email: firststeps@fortschools.org.

An earlier story, introducing the program, is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/district-to-offer-flourishing-first-steps-programming-for-preschool-aged-children/.

Photos from an Itty-Bitty Pre-K learners class, held Wednesday, Oct. 4, follow.