Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 29, 1990 TAG: 9004270451
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: GINA FEROLINO SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
For parents who work outside the home, adequate day-care centers or private child-care providers may offer an environment conducive to developing social skills. Siblings close in age also benefit from interaction with one another.
But for the parent who stays home with an only child or with siblings further apart in age, finding such an environment is not always convenient.
There are several options available to these parents, ranging from local parks and recreation activities and library story times to weekly play groups organized by parents who care for their children at home.
Yet another option for Montgomery County residents is a child-care program offered through vocational education at Blacksburg and Christiansburg high schools.
The program offers courses that include a hands-on laboratory experience - caring for children in a play-oriented, on-site center.
Students who participate may earn a two-year certificate for 1,500 hours of work in child care, which helps them market their skills in child care or gain entrance into college programs such as elementary education.
In Blacksburg, 12 students provide care for 18 preschoolers ages 3 and 4. The preschoolers meet on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 8-10:30 a.m.
Mary Fain, who has taught child care and home economics at Blacksburg High School for 16 years, said the students are divided into three groups and alternate teaching, observation and planning lessons. When not in lab they attend lecture classes on child care.
"They have an opportunity to get experience here," Fain said. "And they can decide whether they like working with this age group."
Most of the parents who have their preschoolers enrolled in the program do so for the social interaction, she said. The fee is $10 per month, which the students use to buy art supplies and nutritious snacks.
"So the students also learn the business side of child care," she said.
The lab consists of five learning centers. In one area are large-muscle development activities such as climbing and building blocks.
A second area offers art activities - coloring, painting and cutting and pasting. Another area offers puzzles, small blocks and other manipulative toys to help develop fine motor skills.
The fourth area is a language, science and math activity center where children play problem-solving and counting games and experiment with floating and sinking objects, magnifying glasses and other items.
A fifth area is a housekeeping center with a dress-up corner for the preschoolers to practice day-to-day tasks such as dressing themselves and cleaning up after themselves. This center, Fain said, helps to stimulate social interaction skills as well as the imagination.
Once a week, the preschoolers learn basics in foreign languages. They also have show and tell, library story time and outdoor play opportunities, she said.
"I don't think the parents could be more pleased, because the children get a lot of individual attention," she said. "And they can come in and observe at any time. We have one-way mirrors if they don't want the child to see them in the classroom."
The high school students at Blacksburg and Christiansburg may co-op for one to three periods a day to work in local child-care centers. Fain said the program lets them apply their lessons in a larger setting. They also learn about licensing requirements and get a more business-oriented experience.
The child-care program at Christiansburg operates on a larger scale than Blacksburg's because students from Auburn and Shawsville attend.
About 30 students provide care for 36 preschoolers ages 3 and 4 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 8:15-11:35 a.m.; and for 25 children ages 1-4 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 1-3 p.m. The fee is $12 per month.
Ina Pack, who has taught child care and home economics at Christiansburg High School for 15 years, said the students select monthly themes for their activities.
"It's a school setting with a ratio of one student per four preschoolers," Pack said.
The preschoolers, who are divided into age groups, participate in free play, creative play, story time, puppet shows, sharing and self-concept activities, cooking, math and science experimentation and art.
"The students like it. Here they can decide whether child care is the career for them," Pack said. "I try to emphasize that there are different ways to do things. It's a learning experience."
She said parents of the preschoolers have been very supportive. "They're good about coming to help us, volunteering for field trips and holiday activities."
Both schools have waiting lists, so parents interested in enrolling their children should call as soon as possible.
by CNB