Durham PreK Spotlight – February 2022
January 31, 2022
2022 is already off to an exciting start! The staff at Child Care Services Association, Durham’s Partnership for Children, Families and Communities Rising, Inc., and Durham Public Schools have been working tirelessly to prepare for the 2022-2023 application cycle. We have also been working on our current NC Pre-K and Durham PreK site selection process. Thankfully, we have some new team members on board!
In October 2021, Jena Fuchs and Tosh Adams joined the Durham PreK team as the Durham PreK Manager and the Outreach and Family Engagement Coordinator, respectively. Jena moved to the Triangle area from upstate New York where she worked with the Geneva City School District's Head Start/PreK program. Tosh joined us after working as an education specialist for a local nonprofit organization. She also has over 13 years of experience as a preschool administrator. We are so excited to have them on board! Read a message from Jena below.
"Nurturing our youngest, most curious learners as they begin to understand more about the world around them is incredibly important work. I love working in Early Childhood Education because it sets the stage for life-long learning and gives children foundational skills they'll build on for the rest of their lives. Every child deserves a strong foundation. I'm honored to be a part of Durham PreK's efforts to ensure all Durham's children have access to safe, equitable, and high-quality educational environments where they can learn and thrive."
Classroom Activities
Our classrooms have also been learning so much this school year! Playing together, building friendships, and getting ready for kindergarten. Check out the pictures below to see what’s been happening in classrooms across the county.
To learn more about Durham PreK classrooms an the importance of play-based learning, click below.
Holiday Parade
In December, families and teachers joined our Durham PreK outreach team as they marched in the Durham Holiday Parade. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020, the outreach team has missed seeing families out in the community. Thankfully, they have been able to do more in-person outreach in the past few months. While many of the events we attend are family focused, the holiday parade is one of the events that gives our team the opportunity to interact with the entire community. Durham PreK is a local initiative meant to serve not only families, children, and pre-K centers, but also the community as a whole. To read more about the impact of investing in pre-K, click here.
Durham PreK is a local initiative meant to serve not only families, children, and pre-K centers, but also the community as a whole. To read more about the impact of investing in pre-K, click below.
Congratulations!
In addition to our hard working teachers and students, we want to shout out a some of our dedicated directors! So far this year, four directors have passed their Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) Observer training and join many others who are already certified. CLASS is a classroom evaluation system Durham PreK uses to assess classroom quality and to inform professional development plans between teachers and their coaches (technical assistance specialists).
Amy Boyette - Children’s Campus at Southpoint
Jennifer Lacewell - White Rock Child Development Center
LaToya McCrimmons - Durham Public Schools
Erica Willie - Primary Colors Early Learning Center - Dixon
We also want to celebrate one of our teacher assistants, Kiana McMillan, for working at White Rock Child Development Center for 10 years! We appreciate all your hard work and dedication to serving young children in Durham.
Share your stories with us!
Does your child love their pre-K teachers? Do you want to shout out someone from your child's school for doing a great job or making you feel welcome? We want to hear from you! Click below to tell us all about it to be featured in the next newsletter.