Building Information

The preschool at Garrison is either a Title I or ECSE program, which means they are funded by the federal government. A multiple criteria is used to determine the children who qualify for the program. The criteria are: a score below the 45%ile, an observation by the examiner, a parent questionnaire, and/or other information.

Preschool is designed to be a positive introduction to school. Children attend two to five days a week for 2 hours and 45 minutes each session. They are involved in a wide range of hands-on activities while in preschool. Activities are planned to meet each child's individual needs. The time in preschool is divided into different segments. Our day is divided into: a center time, small group time, snack time, outside time, and large group time.

The activities in preschool center around the developmental learning skills of the children. These involve basic concepts such as:

• Personal development in building confidence, pride and attitude
• Social interaction, working in groups, and the concept of sharing
• Language development
• Listening
• Story telling
• Development of large motor skills
• Development of fine motor skills
• Color recognition
• Shape recognition
• Number recognition
• Seasonal changes and events
• Learning sequences
• Writing first name (4 year olds)

Four methods are used in evaluating the progress of the children at Garrison. The first method is a pre and post test using the DIAL-3. Students are given the DIAL-3 in the spring of the previous year and Title I students are given the DIAL-3 again in the spring during the school year. A checklist is used in the fall and then in the spring. Parent visits will also take place throughout the school year.

We encourage parents to keep the lines of communication open between home and school. If you have any questions about anything, do not hesitate to ask. The classroom teacher will be sending home NEWS letters periodically. These letters are intended to inform the parents about what has been happening in their child’s classroom and upcoming events. You are more than welcome to visit the classroom to see the various activities we are doing.