By Vanessa Langdon
Staff Writer
And
Adriana Rosales
Head Photographer
The Nursery School at the College held an open house this past Saturday January 31 from 9:30 a.m. to noon. The open house was the first to be held in several years according to school director and head teacher, Laura Sorrentino.
The school offers two half-day classes, a morning class for three year olds and an afternoon pre-kindergarten class for four year olds. The school also offers universal pre-kindergarten through the Albany school district for those living in the required area. The three year-old class is offered as a three or four day a week program and the four year-old class is either three, four, or five days a week.
The nursery school began in 2003 and is open to all families in Albany and the surrounding suburbs as well.
The classes are kept small, 28 students attend the two classes combined. Sorrentino teaches the classes with assistance from graduate students Jennifer Kingsley and April Zwach. The classes always have at least two teachers working with the students but frequently have a third student teacher from the College.
“It is a wonderful experience working with the college students as well. They bring new ideas and offer me the opportunity to act as a mentor and collaborator,” Sorrentino said.
Sorrentino has four student teachers from the College throughout the school year. She breaks up the student teachers to two a semester. The student teachers are in the classroom for seven weeks at a time according to Sorrentino.
“Being a small program, we provide children with individual attention that helps them experience success,” Sorrentino said. Due to the small class sizes offered there is often a wait list to get into the classes by late spring.
The classes make use of their location on the Saint Rose campus through field trips used to supplement the curriculum. Each week the classes visit the curriculum library for a Spanish lesson, taught by Marissa Gitto, the curriculum library director.
The pre-kindergarten class participates in physical education lessons taught by students in the physical education department, supervised by Ann Neilson. The students also have a trick-or-treating event on Halloween visiting certain offices on campus.
Families can also use the free speech and hearing screenings done on campus by Communication Sciences and Disorders students and their supervisors in the Winkler Center each fall.
Saint Rose faculty, students, and alumni are given a 10 percent tuition discount for the school. According to Sorrentino faculty use of the nursery school varies year to year. Currently Lisa Geiger, the Saint Rose softball assistant director, has her child enrolled. Tuition for the nursery school is paid monthly.
The application process for the nursery school should begin one year before the students anticipated start date. The school does give priority to those already enrolled in the program and those families must notify the school about their decision for the coming school year by March first.
Kingsley, a graduate student at the College, has worked part time at the nursery school for two years. She works wit the four-year-old afternoon class part–time while finishing her master’s degree.
“I love being able to apply and see what I’m learning in the classroom and be myself with the kid. It’s a great environment,” Kingsley said.
She works at the nursery school three hours a day assisting Sorrentino with setting up activities, snack, and helping facilitate teacher directed centers.
Kingsley will graduate in May and will be looking for full-time employment.
“I would love to stay here forever but I would like to have my own classroom,” Kingsley said.
Sorrentino strives to create relationships with the children and families.
“Families are welcomed into our community and children are given a warm, inviting environment in which their social, emotional and cognitive development is supported,” Sorrentino said.
