Doctors, teachers, a diving board jumper, police officers, a scuba diver, a gamer, horseback rider and a bunny rabbit are just some of the titles Brown County’s tiniest students want to have when they grow up and go to college.
On July 31, Head Start preschool students made their way to the front of the Brown County Community Foundation’s Howard F. Hughes building to get their certificate for completing the school year.
“We’re just excited about this day,” said Head Start Lead Teacher Kelle Pope.
“What we do at Head Start is we just try to engage in fun learning with getting ready for kindergarten and getting them ready for life.”
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Parents and family members watched as the kids went through their morning activities, like singing the “Get Ready” song or doing their “I love you” ritual, which is an activity to connect the students by singing a song together.
“It helps us get calm and ready for our day,” Pope said.
They also did breathing exercises. Maison Thomas rolled the dice with choices on it. The breathing exercise today was the pretzel.
“It’s my favorite!” one child exclaimed.
Students put their hands out, then over each other before crossing their arms to touch their bellies, and took three deep breaths.
Then, they sang and danced to two songs.
Five preschoolers were recognized who are going to be kindergarten students this fall at Sprunica and Van Buren elementary schools: Amelia Beasley, Cooper Cowan, Remington Minor, Maison Thomas and Gotti Watkins.
The students ran up to get their certificates and hugs from Pope and teacher Sherry Dowell.
The teachers asked the students what they wanted to study when they went to college.
Amelia wants to be a doctor and a nurse. Cooper wants to be a diving board jumper. Remington wants to be a police officer and sea diver. Maison wants to be a scuba diver. Gotti wants to be a gamer.
The other preschool students, who will be returning to Head Start when classes start again on Aug. 21, also received completion certificates and announced their future career goals.
As the kids enjoyed sugar cookies with ‘You did it!’ written on them, their families gathered up plastic totes filled with special toys just for them.
The toys came from local business owner Hilary Key, who also runs Project Play, a local nonprofit that “takes play seriously.”
Earlier in the school year, parents were asked to fill out forms about their children’s favorite toys. Key took those forms to her store, The Toy Chest, to shop for them.
“She wanted to do something special for children in the community, and she thought of Head Start,” Pope told the parents. “Behind me sits a tote full of the things that you requested and that she felt like would be beneficial for your child. … There’s some high-dollar items, you guys. It’s like Christmas.”
In 2017, Key’s Project Play received $1,000 from the Brown County Community Foundation to purchase the toys.
“Under pressure for funding, schools have been forced to cut back play time at school. This means it is more important than ever to be sure kids are playing at home, and recent studies show that we as a society do not prioritize play,” Key’s letter to parents said.
“Our hope is that this project will let more people know who we are and help us get toys into the hands of any child who could use them. … We sincerely hope that they encourage play in your child and enable you to see your child grow through play.”
Head Start has openings for the 2018-2019 school year. To enroll a child, call 812-988-6630. Classes are six hours a day, four days a week.
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Head Start is a federally funded preschool program operating in Nashville.
It is free to 3- to 5-year-olds from families whose income is below the federal poverty level.
The next school year begins Tuesday, Aug. 21. Children are in school six hours a day, four days a week.
Bus transportation may be available in some areas.
For more information on enrollment, call 812-988-6630.
Students may be placed on a waiting list at first, but Head Teacher Kelle Pope said the program has turnover and students may not be on the waiting list long.
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