| "Work
and Play School is a model early childhood program for children
and teachers. The training that our Manchester Community College
students receive at Work and Play School is excellent. I am
grateful to the staff at Work and Play School for sharing their
expertise in early childhood education with our college students
and with children and families."
- Beth Reichert -
Coordinator, Early Childhood Education Program
Manchester Community College
"Work and Play
Nursery School and Day Care Center is a program that I recommend
for my early childhood education students to observe. The
quality of the teaching practice, the child centered creative
curriculum and commitment to children and their families is what
I want my students to experience on their visits. Betsy DeWolfe
and her staff are excellent role models for my students who are
pursuing a profession in early care and education. I have also
placed student teachers at Work and Play Nursery School because
they are teaching in a program that values, appreciates and
understands the development of young children."
- Polly C. Parker
M.S Ed. - Associate Professor and Program Coordinator
Asnuntuck Community College
"I feel that Work and Play
School is a phenomenal program. I would have no qualms about
sending a child of mine to this program. From different things
I've heard and seen about different programs I think I would be
hard pressed to find another program with such quality. At the
risk of sounding sappy, you really can't put a price on the
quality of this program."
- Sarah Lewis -
Early Childhood Education student/observer
Asnuntuck Community College
"It is
probably a good thing that this information comes in a letter
instead of in person. If
you ask me in person what it is I like about Work & Play
School you will open up six years of positive experiences that I
could relay to you all day long.
Each of my three children has spent his nursery school
and pre-school years at Work & Play.These experiences have
translated themselves into our lives and will remain with us
forever."
"The most
overriding lesson my children have taken away from the school is
the way they respond to others, acknowledge their own reactions
to others and fit that into their relationships as a whole.
We learned early on the importance of “it makes me feel
____ when you ______”. It
allowed our children to express the frustrations of childhood in
terms they could understand, it showed them that their reactions
to another’s immediate actions could be separated from their
feelings for that person in general, it helped us as parents
define the emotions our children were experiencing, and, quite
frankly, made our communication within the family as a whole,
more productive. I am sad
to say there are many adults who have not accomplished this
level of positive communication, but at Work & Play, it is
not just a lesson-it is the way you learn to live."
"It is not
just the children who learn to communicate this way.
Every teacher at Work & Play School embodies the
spirit of the lesson. I
have NEVER noticed even a glimpse of tension between the
teachers here. They
express themselves with each other and parents in just the same
way that they teach the children.
And their engagement with the children is constant.
You will never find a teacher not tending to the needs of
your child whether that is one-on-one or stepping back to allow
the children to negotiate their new friendships."
"(**If all
of this seems too perfect to believe, let me say this-there is
no place in our lives that is perfect. There will always be an issue to address or resolve.
In the six years we have been with Work & Play I have
made a few special requests in the way things are handled with
my child. It is the
open, well-defined communication style here that allows open,
non-threatening resolutions to differences of opinion and
need.**)"
"One
of my sons had behavior issues that I believe would have left
him labeled a problem elsewhere.
He was very impulsive and excitable.
He needed structure beyond the rest of his group.
The staff at Work & Play School worked with him, and
my reactions to him, for all of his two years there.
The most important part of this process was
communication. I spoke
with one or more teachers every time my son was in school.
We reviewed his activities for the day, his successes and
his challenges. The
ability of the school to fall back and regroup at a moment’s
notice as a result of their observations truly impressed me.
They respected my input as a parent and put that together
with their program. The
results in terms of my son’s behavior now speak loudly to the
praise I heap on Work & Play School the ability that they
have to nurture the needs of the individual within the framework
of group learning is a stepping stone any child will jump from
successfully."
"Mix
a positive environment, clear and consistent communication, the
process of learning from the world around the child and
dedicated, loving teachers-there is Work & Play School in a
nutshell. It truly is a
wonderful place to start any child on the path to successful
learning and life skills."
-
Linda Kehoe, Parent
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