Guilford Center for Children Sees Success and Support for Preschool Summer Program
While many schools are currently scrambling to put together reopening plans for the fall, attempting to absorb guidelines from the state while facing down continued uncertainty in the face of the continued ravages of the pandemic, the Guilford Center for Children (GCC) has been quietly operating for most of the summer, bringing grateful pre-school age children back to learning and social activities after three months of absence.
With reduced class sizes, plenty of outdoor time, and enhanced safety precautions, GCC’s young students have adapted quickly and have been able to enjoy much of the socializing and learning that was so swiftly made impossible by the pandemic back in March, according to GCC Executive Director Lisa Jones.
“Everything is going very smoothly. The children are so happy to be back,” she said. “All the parents were just thrilled that we were going to be opening. They have a very trusting relationship with us already.”
Bringing 34 students back on June 22, GCC has since added seven more to its summer roster—fewer than what it usually has enrolled during school months, according to Jones, which allows the school to keep classroom sizes down.
During the three-month absence, GCC teachers found ways to stay in touch with their young charges, including through virtual lessons, recorded videos, and even dropping off crafts and lesson materials on doorstops—despite the fact that all were furloughed and were receiving no pay.
GCC has not yet been able to bring all its staff back, Jones said, but she is hopeful it will be able to in the fall if state guidelines expand to allow larger class sizes in preschools.
For now, though, Jones said the three- to five year-olds attending GCC have been having a blast, spending more time outside than inside thanks to beautiful weather, and reconnecting with teachers.
“They’ve been walking to the green; they’ve been walking to the fairground. We use the Whitfield Lawn a lot—there’s beautiful, large outdoor areas to our benefit right now,” Jones said.
GCC’s playground can only accommodate one cohort of students at a time under current guidelines, Jones said, so the extra space has been vital both to reduce risk and also ensure all students get time to play and learn in the fresh air.
Other adaptations for students have included learning to social distance using arm measurements, as many of GCC’s kids are too young to conceptualize six feet, and making sure each student shares supplies as little as possible, with designated “materials buckets” for art and other activities, Jones said.
State guidelines don’t require young children in a “child care environment and those with medical conditions” to wear masks, though teachers and staff must do so indoors, or when six feet of distancing is impossible.
Jones said that the age group the GCC serves is “so resilient,” and many students also haven’t yet been accustomed to any other procedure. Many of them were only in school for a few months before the pandemic, she said, which made it easy to teach the new practices the same way they learned other basic skills.
“There has been no pushback or worry at all from the children—again, they’re just so happy to be back in their space. This is their school, their classroom with their peers, their friends, and their teachers,” Jones said. “After not having that human connection with their own peer group for so many months, they really just fell back into place.”
GCC has been able to accept every family that wanted to attend the summer program, according to Jones, but that won’t be possible in the fall based on anticipated demand under the current state guidelines, with only five total classrooms in the GCC building.
Jones said she was also hopeful at some point that guidelines will allow parents to come into classrooms to visit with children and teachers at pick-up and drop-off, something that’s not currently possible and is missed.
“GCC is just so lucky and blessed to have such a community of support, specifically our parents. This would not work if they did not trust and care about our community so deeply as they do,” Jones said.