Pre-School Program Designing an Engaging

Pre-School Program Designing an Engaging Pre-School Program for Ages 3 to 5 Years According to Lunenberg (2000), "Preschool experiences are designed to provide cognitive and social enrichment during early childhood development. The goal of these experiences is to promote children's ability to successfully make the transition to school and to prevent poor school adjustment outcomes such as school failure, unemployment, and poverty" (p. 519).

These are clearly worthy goals, but as any teacher or parent can confirm, the problems with getting and maintaining the interest of young children in meaningful ways are profound, but it is possible to accomplish this by following some simple steps that will be appropriate for virtually any preschool environment. It is reasonable to suggest that many young people dread facing yet another dreary day at preschool while others relish their attendance and cannot wait for things to get started.

The difference in these two reactions may well be related not to how plush the surroundings are but rather to how well the preschool teacher recognizes when to help and when to allow children to explore on their own, which is one of the fundamental principles established by Maria Montessori to help even very young people learn and enjoy their preschool experience (Finn, Lopata & Wallace, 2005).

While all children are unique, of course, the program discussed in this paper is intended for ages 3 to 5 years, but may be modified for other age ranges as the practitioner deems appropriate. Space Requirements and Materials.

The space provided by this envisioned pre-school program would require an typical classroom environment, with designated play, reading, art and rest areas; other features would include age-appropriate reading materials (e.g., Cat in the Hat et al.), tables and chairs, and basic art supplies (i.e., Elmer's, construction paper, crayons, modeling clay, paints and brushes, pipe-cleaners, glitter [teacher discretion], etc.), and toys and games (i.e., Chutes 'n Ladders, Candyland, balls, jacks, pick-up-sticks, jigsaw puzzles, etc.).

Regardless of what type of materials are provided in the preschool classroom using this approach, though, it is important to keep in mind the Montessori principle of a providing a controlled (i.e., limited) environment. For example, Wentworth emphasizes that, "Children surrounded by too many materials find it difficult to make a choice. Teachers who know their preferences can keep a limited number of appropriate alternatives in front of them and be ready to change them when a child's interest begins to fade" (p. 20).

This author also advises that because all young children may want to try the same thing at the same time (especially if it is something new), it is a good idea to provide them with a sufficient number of comparable items so that a number of children can participate in the same type of work. This approach is a refinement of Montessori's principles, but it is important for preschool teachers to "strike while the iron is hot" and take advantage of learning opportunities when they present themselves.

For example, Wentworth points out that on a given day, "There may be enthusiasm for weaving, or working with clay, tracing maps, doing jigsaw puzzles and so on. If teachers stick too rigidly to the principle adopted in the preschool Montessori class that there should be only one set of each item per class and make children wait for their turn, the desire to use the material may fade, and the chance of using the collective enthusiasm for the activity will be lost" (emphasis added) (Wentworth, 1999, p. 21).

The preschool program envisioned herein would use the Montessori approach that employs an open concept in which children's desks are arranged in "rafts" in an effort to facilitate individual and small-group learning; in this program, students typically spend three to four hours per day in self-selected individual and small-group work and spend less than one hour per day in whole-group instruction (Finn et al., 2005).

In addition, Wentworth recommends having children leave their footwear outside and wear socks or slippers in the preschool classroom to keep things cleaner and make clean-up after school easier. Teacher Assistance Required and Classroom Administration. The teacher assistance to be provided would follow the guidance provided by Maria Montessori. According to Elliott, Gettinger and Kratochwill (1992), "Like Froebel, Montessori implemented an early education curriculum that was founded on a developmental theory, employed play as the instructional method, and sequentially introduced developmentally appropriate materials designed to facilitate sensory and cognitive skills" (p. 8).

This technique is clearly appropriate for a preschool environment where there will likely be a highly diverse group of children at various developmental stages. In the Montessori-guided classroom, though, a careful balance must be made between helping young children too little and helping them too much. For instance, according to Wentworth (1999), "Helping children too much, or providing them with ready answers to problems, is a negative factor because it prevents the child from using its own resources for knowledge acquisition, and deprives the child of the pleasure of discovery" (p. 16).

There is also a need for teachers to "keep an eye out" for children who may not be receiving the level of attention they need, for whatever reason. Some children, of course, do not want to do anything from time to time and this is an acceptable activity in the Montessori classroom, but teachers must be ready to assist them when and where they need assistance depending on the circumstances.

If a child is acting out and needs some time to recover his or her composure, the teacher should direct this. Likewise, the teacher should ensure that children are provided with a wide range of activities that will promote their interaction. Indeed, interactions between children are considered essential for the development of cognitive, language, social, and play skills; however, while preschool programs provide a number of opportunities for social interactions, a child's presence in these environments does not ensure that interactions and learning will take place (Crocker & Orr, 1996).

Summary and Conclusion This paper provided an overview of a proposed preschool program for children ages 3 to 5 years using the principles developed by Maria Montessori specifically for such programs. The preschool program envisioned herein employed some refinements of Montessori's principles, but any busy educator can affirm the importance of remaining flexible in the preschool classroom, and it is likely that the doctor herself would agree with some of these modifications in a modern preschool setting. Although.