Objective: To prepare the child for the rigors of formal education with sufficient socialization discipline to make learning effective. Combine motor skill training with cognitive learning to overcome early deficits.
Schedule: The Preschool is open from 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in Father Rausch Memorial Hall at St. Paul’s. The Preschool is sponsored by St. Paul’s Catholic Church and open to all families without regard to race, color, or religion.
Teacher: Michelle Estus
Michelle Estus is a 2001 graduate of Hancock Central School. After high school, Michelle attended SUNY Broome to obtain an associate degree in Science, and Keystone College where she received her bachelor’s degree, and teacher certification in elementary education. Michelle has been working with preschool and school age children since 2001. She spent seven years as the Director and Lead Teacher of the Fish’s Eddy Head Start.
Administrator: Lorena Soccodato
Curriculum: Integrated science, math, and literature studies. Oceans with their inhabitants for counting, grouping, and vocabulary skills. Beaches with seashell identification and grouping. Dinosaur history, families, and types. Introduction to Paleontology and digs. Volcanoes and violent storms, origins, and nature. Nesting birds, types, and nest matching, habitat, and instincts. Raising baby chicks in the cycle from embryo to birth. Nursery rhymes for language patterning and early reading. Name recognition and beginning writing. Playacting of various learned skills and events.
Evaluation: Baseline skills measured with extensions of Children’s Center criteria. Tracking of testing for graduation to formal school education. The Hancock Elementary Principal has made the observation she can identify academically those children who have graduated from the Preschool versus those who have not.
Funding: The Preschool is substantially self-funded. The foundation provides grants for any shortfall in income or special needs.
Contact: For more information, call (607)637-3146
