The first few days of kindergarten can be a difficult experience for a child who is not immediately comfortable being away from home and placed in a new environment. Every year in Dorchester District 2, however, hundreds of students enter kindergarten completely at ease with their surroundings.
Dorchester District 2’s Early Intervention/Child Development program has operated for more than 30 years and is currently serving about 460 four-year-olds.
The yearlong program, which has at least one class at each of the district’s 11 elementary schools, has about 40 children per site.
Because each school has limited space and resources, parents and guardians must apply for the program, and children are chosen based on criteria set forth by the state Department of Education, said Susan Gaston, the district’s early childhood interventionist.
Parents’ desire to enroll their children in the program is so high that there are waiting lists at each school, said Gaston, who attributes the program’s popularity to parents and guardians wanting the best for their children.
“All the latest brain research indicates a child’s brain develops early in life,” Gaston said. “Many parents realize that no matter how good the situation a child has at home is, he or she can benefit from a group experience.”
The time a child spends at school as a four-year-old will help him or her immeasurably, said Kristie Walters, the 4K teacher at Knightsville Elementary School.
“I tell parents that while we focus on academics, the students will benefit greatly simply by coming to a school they know they’ll be at for the next six years of their lives,” Walters said. “It provides them with a level of comfort.”
At Knightsville, the four-year-olds take part in a wide variety of activities, such as honing their fine motor skills through writing and art projects, learning to work with others through group activities and sing-a-longs, visiting the school library and becoming familiar with technology they will use in elementary school.
Walters and teaching assistant Mary Holley make sure their 4K class is full of life. At the beginning of each class, the pair dance and sing alongside the children, each of who have to ear-to-ear smiles from the moment they enter the classroom.
Gaston says the pre-kindergarten class makes a huge difference in a child’s success both in elementary school and further down the road.
“Being in this program allows children to begin learning as soon as they arrive in kindergarten rather than spending a year adjusting to a new setting,” Gaston said. “It so important for these kids.”

Contact Michael Tannebaum at 873-9424 ext. 215 or mtannebaum@journalscene.com