“I’ve always liked working with kids,” said PHLpreK teacher Patty Cronin. “I love watching their excitement, and seeing them accomplish and learn new things.”
Patty works at SPIN Parkwood, an early learning center in Northeast Philadelphia. She started at the center three years ago, and was present for the first day of PHLpreK in January 2017.
“It was exciting,” said Patty. “I couldn’t wait to start my new classroom, meet new children, and new families and see what we could accomplish.”
PHLpreK is the City’s free, quality pre-K program open to all children who will be 3 or 4 years old by September 1. There are no family income or work requirements.
“It’s great that children are getting the opportunity to go to pre-K [with PHLpreK],” said Patty. “A lot of times even though parents make a little bit more money, they don’t quality for other programs. But they still might not have extra to send their child to school. I’ve seen families like that.”
Patty said pre-K is beneficial to children and families.
“It opens the door for parents to have interactions with their children,” said Patty. “We hold parent-teacher conferences three times a year. We also communicate with parents every day. We send weekly logs home, and communicate at pick up and drop off too. We provide workshops at the parent-teacher meetings. If they need help with other things we’re available.”
As for what children learn, Patty said, “Pre-K teaches them their letters, and their colors. There’s learning through play. They’re also learning about patience, waiting, and sharing.”
“A lot of kindergarten teachers tell us children who don’t go through pre-K have a hard time.”
Patty has an associate degree in early childhood education. As a PHLpreK teacher, she enjoys attending continuing education classes throughout the year. “They’re good refreshers.”
This month she will attend a Creative Curriculum training. She’ll also attend a training about setting goals, and recording notes about children. Both of these trainings are supported by the City’s PHLpreK program.
Patty said at the end of each day she works on lesson plans. “We do themes but we do teach around children’s interests. If they ask about something we go along and make it interesting for them,” said Patty. “We try to bring real life situations into the classroom.”
Recently she taught a recycling lesson, which you can view on SPIN’s Facebook page.
“We’ve taught about trees and brought in branches…watched caterpillars bloom into butterflies…and we have a greenhouse in classroom, where we grow plants,” said Patty. “We try to introduce them to experiences they might not get at home.”
Patty encourages families considering PHLpreK to contact centers of choice. “Go in and take a look at a pre-K classroom,” she said. “It’s very important for children to start a foundation with school.”
Visit phlprek.org/programs to find a center near you and enroll your child today. PHLpreK is free, and has no income or work requirements.
Act fast; seats are filling up quickly! Go to phlprek.org or call 844-PHL-PREK to learn more and find a program near you!
