LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Within the last two years, three Lincoln schools have added preschool classrooms to their building. At Standing Bear High School on Thursday, preschoolers and their teachers experienced these new rooms for the first time.
Standing Bear High School is one of the three schools that have added preschool classrooms within the past two years. Parents and teachers say having more spaces like this in Lincoln make a big difference.
One mom said her commute will be easier this year with Standing Bear being so close to her family’s home.
“It makes it more convenient for us so we can get them to and from preschool and they even offer the bus service for the little ones,” Bridget Eckhout, mother of a preschooler at Standing Bear said.
Instructors say it’s the small details in these rooms that make a difference like the big windows that let in natural light and private bathrooms. Since these classrooms were added to a high school, staff said it gives the kids a chance to work with the older students.
“I think it will be beneficial not only for the preschoolers but for the high schoolers to take initiative too of working with young children,” Sarah Jumnongnart, preschool teacher at Standing Bear said.
Even though preschool is not mandatory to go into kindergarten, early childhood professionals said it makes it easier for kids to take that next step.
“Children who have had this experience with us have a smoother transition to kindergarten that really sets the tone for them having a successful school year, Cara Lucas-Richt,” LPS Director of Early Childhood said.
The rooms at Standing Bear can hold 14 students, ages three to five years old. LPS will continue to add more preschool students to these classrooms as the year continues. Since last year, the amount of preschoolers at LPS grew 29 percent.
The other schools that added these classrooms were Robinson Elementary School and Northwest High School. Staff say there is a hope to add even more preschool classrooms across the district in the future.
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