High school students aspiring to become preschool teachers or day care workers are receiving hands-on training through Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp’s C4 early childhood education program.
The C4 early childhood preschool program at Columbus North High School allows students an opportunity to work with children ages 3 to 5, said Jenny Wallace, C4 early childhood and family and consumer sciences instructor.
The program is available for children three days a week in the morning and afternoon. It was started in the mid-1980s by Bev Greenwood, who worked with some of the first licensed daycare facilities in Columbus, Wallace said.
A total of 26 high school students who are juniors and seniors are now enrolled in the C4 program, which has 13 preschoolers in the morning and seven in the afternoon. The upperclassmen develop their own lesson plans and activities, Wallace said.
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High school students work with children at different stations within the classroom in a group setting focusing on art, singing songs and learning about letters, colors and shapes.
Brooke Brownfield, a North junior, hopes to become a preschool teacher and said the program has given her good insight into a future career.
Brownfield works to teach the young children about math and science, in addition to motor coordination-related activities such as holding up a piece of paper or using scissors, she said.
She hopes to attend Indiana University in Bloomington to earn a degree in elementary education after she graduates from high school, she said.
“I really like kids, so it’s a natural thing for me to teach kids,” Brownfield said.
Wallace said her focus as an educator is to help students through teamwork and discussion on how they can improve. More importantly, high school students are able to learn whether teaching is something they want to pursue through their involvement, she said.
Students who participate in the program earn hours toward child development accreditation, which could help them earn higher wages once they enter the child care field, Wallace said.
The accreditation, which requires an individual earning 480 hours, is required if an individual wishes to operate a licensed home day care.
High school students are also required to get additional experience at a local child care facility as part of their enrollment, Wallace said.
Maria Najera, a North junior, is considering operating her own day care or entering the cosmetology field. She said she enjoys seeing children learn something new.
“We still let them have their imagination no matter what,” Najera said. “My goal for them is to is to be happy and learn a lot.”
Columbus East junior Sincere Brantley said she entered the program not knowing what she wanted to do in life, but now has plans to become a preschool teacher.
Brantley said she had considered herself to be a shy individual, but teaching now comes naturally to her, she said.
“It’s really helped me come out of my shell a lot,” she said.
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The C4 early childhood preschool program is housed at Columbus North High School, 1400 25th St., and offers morning and afternoon sessions.
For more information on enrollment starting in January, caregivers are asked to contact C4 early childhood instructor Jenny Wallace by calling 812-376-4362 or e-mail [email protected].
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