Thrasher Preschool receives star rating
VINTON–Thrasher Memorial UMC Preschool will be marking forty-one years in operation when they open on September 4 for the 2012-2013 school year. They will also be celebrating their latest accomplishment: the achievement of a star rating from the Virginia Star Quality Initiative (VSQI) program.
Thrasher Memorial UMC Preschool, located on Washington Avenue in Vinton, has just been awarded a star-rating from the Virginia Star Quality Initiative, which is a statewide system designed to help families make informed decisions on where to send their young children for preschool and childcare.
Thrasher is the first preschool program in Vinton to achieve that goal, one of only 15 in the Roanoke area and one of over 300 across the state of Virginia. Out of the estimated 13,000-14,000 preschool-age children in the Greater Roanoke area, about 1,000 are currently attending star-rated facilities.
The VSQI is a state-wide system designed to help families make more informed choices when considering where to send their young children for childcare and preschool. The star rating serves as an indicator of the quality of care provided at each center and of their commitment to go beyond basic expectations and licensing requirements.
VSQI is administered through a public/private partnership between the Virginia Office of Early Childhood Development and the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation. Smart Beginnings Greater Roanoke (SBGR) is the local coordinator for the program. Funding for the program comes through the Virginia Social Services Department, United Way, grants, and private donations, most notably locally from Kroger, the Roanoke Times, and Cox.
Preschool programs participate voluntarily and are assessed by trained and experienced raters. The raters evaluate staff qualifications and professional development, how the teachers and staff interact with the children, the number of children in each classroom, the student/teacher ratio, whether the furnishings are age appropriate, what types of activities and materials are available, and the curriculum used to help prepare preschoolers to enter kindergarten.
“Our strengths at Thrasher are our small class sizes, our low teacher/child ratio, and our large bright classrooms with age-appropriate furnishings,” said Trish Taylor, director of the Thrasher Preschool program. “We also have large spaces in our fellowship halls and outdoors for gross motor play; and we have an enormous collection of teaching materials accumulated over the years we have been open.”
Once a program has been rated, Smart Beginnings provides intensive training, mentoring support, and funding designed to further increase high-quality learning experiences.
“VSQI not only helps children, but also helps smaller preschools like Thrasher to become part of a network with other facilities, where they meet together on a monthly basis and share experiences and ideas,” said Kris Meyers, director of SBGR.
“The Smart Beginnings organization will provide our staff training opportunities for little or no cost. We also received $750 this year to buy materials to raise the standards in our classroom environments,” said Taylor.
SBGR serves Vinton and the Cities of Roanoke and Salem, as well as Roanoke, Craig, Botetourt, and Franklin Counties. They not only work with early childhood educators and childcare providers to ensure that “best practices” are being carried out, but offer resources and seminars to parents of young children.
Research has shown that the quality of child care children receive sets the stage for all future learning. SBGR has set a goal that every child in the Roanoke Valley will enter kindergarten emotionally, socially, academically and physically ready to succeed in school and in life. “Ready for school, ready for life” is their motto.
“We believe that the first five years of life are when the brain does the majority of its development,” said Taylor. “Children who start kindergarten at a deficit, still have that deficit in third grade, which follows them throughout their lives. A quality preschool program is vitally important to future success.”
Thrasher Preschool is a non-profit organization housed in Thrasher Memorial United Methodist Church on Washington Avenue in Vinton. They currently enroll approximately 50 students each year.
The Thrasher Preschool is self-supporting from tuition charges which are just high enough to pay the staff and operational costs. They also receive support from the church not only by the classroom space provided, but through custodial services at no charge, money for some supplies, and donations to a scholarship fund.
Thrasher Preschool offers half-day programs for three year olds on either a two or three-day schedule. Classes for four-year-olds are offered on half and full-day schedules for either three or five days each week.
Trish Taylor is beginning her fifth year as director. This is the first year that she is not also serving as a teacher.
Trish Taylor, the director of Thrasher Preschool is preparing for the September 4th opening. Thrasher Preschool first opened in 1971 at Thrasher Memorial United Methodist Church in Vinton.
Thrasher requires their director and preschool teachers to have degrees in early childhood education or early childhood development. Each preschool classroom at Thrasher is staffed by a teacher and an assistant. Thrasher is a “safe sanctuary” where children are supervised by two adults at all times.
the teachers at Thrasher are demonstrating their commitment to quality early education by going beyond expectation or requirement.
the teachers at Thrasher are demonstrating their commitment to quality early education by going beyond expectation or requirement.
These days, preschool programs are not just playschools. Thrasher alternates structured times of the day with what appear to be more unstructured sessions, but which in reality are “play-time with a purpose”.
Preschools evaluated by the Virginia Star Quality Initiative are rated on age appropriate furnishings, organized play areas, cozy corners, individual cubbies, enriched environments, their variety of materials, class size, and a host of other standards. Thrasher Memorial UMC Preschool is the first Vinton preschool to complete the review procedure and receive a star rating from the VSQI.
“The teachers thoughtfully plan to extend play into learning,” said Taylor. “Much play is child-directed, but with purposeful questioning to get them to think more. Teachers assist students in building communication skills by participating in play with them.”
“There are many misconceptions about what and how children should be learning,” said Meyers. “What people think is the best way for kids to learn might not actually be the best practice. VSQI is based on extensive research into how children actually learn, the best methods of teaching and how that impacts future learning. Preschool is important, and not just sending children to preschool, but sending them to a preschool facility where the staff knows what they are doing, where they focus on cognitive development, not just academics per se.”
Beth Thompson of Vinton, is the parent of two children who have graduated from Thrasher’s preschool.
“Their public school teachers have commented on how they have excelled because of how well my children were prepared by their time at Thrasher,” said Thompson. “The classes there are small, and they focus on the skills that children need to know to prepare them for school, in addition to socialization skills. I also wanted my children to have a faith-enriched environment, which Thrasher provides.”
“I elected to have Thrasher participate in the VSQI because I was inspired by my professors to set high standards in preschool education,” said Trish Taylor. “I have a passion to make sure children are ready for school. I also believe God calls us to help others and this is my calling.”
For more information, contact Trish Taylor at 540-344-4125 or at ttaylor@thrasherumc.org. Information on the VSQI and Smart Beginnings Greater Roanoke is available at www.smartbeginningsroanoke.org.
