Edwardsville YMCA announces openings for preschool this fall

EDWARDSVILLE - As the school year nears parents are looking for the perfect place for their children to start off their education. The Edwardsville YMCA Preschool has been that choice for over 50 years. The program is held at the Esic Center for children between 2 and 5 years old.

Time for Toddlers is a great opportunity for 2 year olds to develop socially and prepare them for the YMCA 3 year old program. There are 12 children in each class, along with a lead teacher and 2 co-op parents. Children will be able to participate in gross motor activities, fine motor activities, puzzles, games, art, music, and being read to in a loving environment. Mrs. Burns, who is the toddler teacher (with 17 years of experience!), states, “I love being with toddlers. It’s amazing how much they grow and learn throughout the year. It’s fun to see them make friends, play and enjoy the stories and projects we do in class.” A former parent drove all 4 of her children 25 minutes for 5 years to the YMCA preschool programs, because she “loved the program.” She stated that “Mrs. Burns creates a nurturing environment for the toddlers. They work on fine motor skills such as cutting, gluing, painting and drawing every day. They work on gross motor skills through outdoor play, playing in the gym, or in the riding room every day. She works with increasing children’s attention span through large group stories and games. She plays the mouse game daily. The mouse hides under different shapes or colors labeled with numbers. The children don’t even realize they are learning to discriminate between colors, numbers, and shapes as they are taking turns. They also have sensory play every day, with the sensory table or variations of homemade playdough.”

Another class with openings is the K.I.D.S Enrichment program. The class is designed as an extended day for YMCA preschool children. It offers preschool parents a well supervised place for children to have fun, group activities including literature based arts and crafts, music, organized games, story time and free play. The same former parent says, “My children loved the opportunity to eat lunch at school. It definitely helped prepare them for kindergarten. They read stories and take turns bringing home the magic backpack and sharing it with their friends. In the magic backpack, the children brought a show and tell item from home. They came up with 3 clues for their friends to guess what was inside. It was exciting for each child every time it was their turn. This was a great opportunity for oral language practice, listening, and critical thinking skills. They also play outside or in the gym each day.” Mrs. Burns, who also teaches K.I.D.S Enrichment, states “it is a fun class. The children enjoy participating in fun projects that go along with the story of the day. The children get to experience having lunch at school and making great friends.” 

The new school year starts off in September with an exciting change, a new director. Lee An Berry brings a passion for early childhood development with an extensive background and education in the field. Cheryl Ransick served as both the director and a Pre-K teacher for the past 15 years. She made the decision to step down as the director in order free up time to pursue other interests.  However, the Y is extremely fortunate and grateful that she will remain with the program in her role as a Pre-K teacher. For more information about registering for Preschool, please call 618.656.0436 ext. 2327, email Lee An at lberry@edwymca.com or visit www.edwardsvilleymca.com.

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