COLLEGE PLACE — A bucket with bells gets passed around by pairs of little hands, as a group of preschoolers prepare for a closing singalong to mark the end of the school day.
The gentle rattle of the bells fills the room, and the children’s voices rise from their perches on the carpet, following the lead of teacher Ginger Case.
Sitting beside some of the children are their mothers, who join them in singing and jingling before helping them gather coats and backpacks to head home.
Case gets support from at least two parents each day as part of a collaborative approach to public preschool launched in College Place Public Schools at the start of this school year.
The district has offered public preschool for about seven years, accepting 28 students to fill two sections on a first-come, first-served basis.
The program was offered at no cost to parents with money the district collects from I-728. Case said each year slots filled up fast, with several students placed on a waiting list.
Before the start of this school year, she had about 40 students on the waiting list. But a need to tighten the budget this year led the district to scale back several programs, including preschool. Case lost an assistant who helped her manage the students. Without help, Case could have only taught seven students on her own, or 14 in all. So the district tried an approach to preschool education that is used in surrounding districts, including in Burbank, Dayton, Waitsburg, Touchet and Pomeroy.
In a collaboration with Walla Walla Community College, College Place is now offering a parent cooperative preschool. The new program has brought mainly positive changes.
The biggest drawback for parents may be the new fee for the once-free program. Tuition is $70 a month for each child.
The tuition is likely the biggest reason enrollment dropped this school year, with 14 children attending.
But with that fee parents enroll at Walla Walla Community College, earn three credits each quarter, and have the opportunity to learn about their child as they develop and prepare for school, while interacting with other parents in the program.
There are also scholarships available to cover part or all of the program’s costs for qualifying families.
Under the new program, the School District provides the teacher and space, while the college offers a parent educator, supplies and instructional materials for the parents.
The parent educator, Melinda Brennan, is the early learning program coordinator at the college. As part of the College Place program, she attends certain classes each month, and also works directly with parents by teaching the parent classes.
The classes give parents an opportunity to ask questions, and to network with other parents with similar experiences.
Her focus includes helping parents learn about their children developmentally, and teaches the benefits of play and social interaction with other children.
“We want our children to be ready for school, but ready for life as well,” she said.
Because it is a co-op, parents are asked to contribute two or three days a month. The classes meet Tuesday through Thursday at Davis Elementary from 8 to 11 a.m.
Each month the parents meet in the same classroom for their parent education course. This month, Brennan said, they would be talking about traditions during the holidays.
“This is about equipping parents and giving them more tools in their toolboxes to be successful parents,” Brennan said.
More than three months into the program, Case said the benefits stand out. The parents bring ideas and resources to her classes that help her focus and organize lessons.
“We’re able to extend some learning that I haven’t been able to do before,” she said.
On a recent day, one parent ran an activity on taking apart electronics with a group of students while Case worked with another group. One mom has a knack at mixing paints, and often takes charge of painting activities, Case said.
The collaboration makes parents active in their children’s education, and allows them to have a say on which direction to take some lessons, or share ideas on fun explorations.
Case explained that parents don’t simply send their children to preschool now, they are part of the school. “Now it’s not just me, this is about us,” she said.
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