Everyone learns lessons at early childhood program
I learned a valuable lesson Tuesday afternoon: Do not ask kids about their dogs.
I volunteered this week at Educare, an early childhood program that opened in July. The program is a public-private partnership that provides education and child care to low-income and at-risk children.
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Educare and Sunbeam Family Services
Educare is an educational and child care center serving 200 at-risk children from birth to age 5 in Oklahoma City. Employees work for Sunbeam Family Services, which has served the community for more than 100 years. Sunbeam programs support adults, children, families and seniors. Volunteers are for a variety of programs, including foster care, caregiver support, senior companions, emergency shelter and counseling. For more information about Sunbeam Family Services, call 528-7721 or go to www.sunbeamfamilyservices.org. For more information about Educare, call 605-8232 or go to www.okceducare.org.
The place is amazing. Everything is designed to encourage a sense of community. The children have lunch together at the same table, and food is served family-style. Children have the same teachers through all their years at Educare. Classrooms are organized into neighborhoods.
In fact, this place is so fancy-pants, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan visited the site for the official dedication in September.
I spent time in two classrooms — the 3-year-olds and the babies.
When I was with the older kids, I read them one of their favorite books, "David Gets in Trouble" by David Shannon. The boy in the book makes up all kinds of excuses for why his bad behavior isn't his fault. But the kids saw right through that nonsense. They giggled at all David's explanations.
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