CMS provides a home for Betz preschoolers

Cheney Middle School Principal Mike Stark had two thoughts when he heard last spring that nearby Betz Elementary School was out of space for its preschool program.

The first was with about 500 students in a facility built to house around 800, the middle school had plenty of space. The second was mixing preschoolers with adolescent 12–14 year olds could present problems.

"It shouldn't work, but it does," Stark said. "In fact, it not only works, it's thriving."

After Stark's offer of space to house three preschool classes was approved by school district administration, he set about preparing his staff and students for dealing with something he himself hadn't experienced since his days teaching in the small town of Royal City. He also met with the parents of the preschoolers who would be attending class at Cheney Middle School, answering questions and laying out his plans for taking care of their children.

After some shuffling, two rooms were cleared in the sixth-grade wing - the grade level Stark felt would be able to relate the most since they are closest in age - to house the classes.

Beginning this fall, one classroom at the school became host to the district's Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) class which provides fulltime preschool for 3- and 4-year-old children from low-income families. The program is overseen through a collaboration between the state Department of Early Learning and Community Colleges of Spokane.

The other classroom is home to two different preschool sections, one for students attending Monday and Wednesday and the other for students attending Tuesday and Thursday's.

One of the reasons Stark said the program works is because it presented an opportunity for the middle school students. Stark worked with staff and preschool teachers to create a teacher's assistant (TA) course middle school students could take as an elective.

At first the course - which isn't shown in the school's course catalog - didn't attract much attention. That changed as word got out and students began to have more daily interaction with the preschoolers.

"We have kids lined up, begging to get into that class," Stark said, adding the course helps middle school students learn to interact with younger children and how to be good role models to them.

Preschool teacher Kim Johnson said being located at the middle school has its benefits, the first being the opportunity for more one-on-one instruction with her students, something the TAs help provide.

As for her reservations about mixing middle school students with preschoolers, Johnson had a one-word answer: "Everything."

The middle school lacks playground equipment such as slides and jungle gyms. There are no bathrooms in the classrooms, meaning the younger students have to use the same restrooms as the middle schoolers.

Stark said they worked around these issues, providing separate times for preschoolers to use the gym as well as scheduling escorted bathroom breaks more often throughout the day. He's also had to rely on Johnson and the other preschool teachers more than he does his regular staff because "they speak pre-school."

But the advantages seem to outweigh the challenges. Johnson said her students have benefited from better classroom technology along with school classes and organizations that have stepped up to visit the kids and provide unique activities.

Additionally, preschoolers in elementary schools often can get stuck in a routine.

"There's lots of out of the ordinary things here," Johnson said.

Stark said the preschool classes will remain at the middle school through the end of 2019, when Betz's expansion is scheduled for completion. The middle school students have made them welcome, going so far as to give high-fives when passing in the hallways.

"They're like mini-rock stars," Stark said.

John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.