Rebrand, relaunch: College Preschool 'fills niche' of play-based, child-directed learning

The College of Wooster Preschool, formerly called the COW Nursery School, will continue its 76-year history with its emphasis on nature and outdoor learning and a screen-free environment when it reopens just after Labor Day.

The school's tradition was interrupted when it did not admit students on its expected first day of classes last year on Sept. 5.

At that time, the Office of the Provost attributed the closure to "operational and building challenges that we could not resolve."

This year, "no physical or structural changes had to be made to the building in order to reopen," Alexa Konstantinos, the College's vice president of marketing and communications, said in an email.

But, said Konstantinos, the Provost and preschool committee researched operating models for the school before restarting it.

New operating model in place for the reopening

In September the preschool will debut "a new model that allows us to better meet the flexible needs of students and parents while at the same time allowing us to run the school on a more operationally feasible manner than before," Konstantinos said.

A new schedule includes a multi-age morning class for 3-5-year olds with the option of two, three or five days a week.

Before school care will be available 8-9 a.m. and lunch care from noon-1 p.m.

Educational programming also has been updated, Konstantinos said.

Nature, outdoor learning will return, along with 'no screens'

While it will incorporate science of reading strategies and other evidence-based practices, the school's traditional emphasis on nature and outdoor learning will be upheld.

"I'm so excited to be a part of it," said preschool Director Tessa Hammond, a former Wooster City School District intervention specialist who also has taught outdoor education in the western United States.

The component of the preschool curriculum Hammond most favors is "no video and no screens."

A screen-free environment is optimum developmentally for children, as demonstrated by research, according to Hammond.

Too much screen time for preschool students has a negative impact on learning and social/emotional development, she said, adding, “it is isolating.”

The College of Wooster preschool will maintain "a balance between preserving the past and building upon the future," Hammond said, showing vintage wind-up toys alongside new ones.

An exact replica of a "climber" from 1947 is a featured item in the classroom.

"It is a treasured item," Hammond said, adding, original pieces have been made into ornaments.

'There's a lot of history in this building'

The restoration was the brainchild of substitute teacher Sarah Myers, who will serve up to 24 students each day alongside Hammond, Krista Emerson, Jennifer Reynolds and Apple Hopkins.

Ice cream buckets, another school tradition, line the shelf to hold students' items.

The school even retains some of the original chairs, Hammond said. “There is a lot of history in this building.”

The dramatic play area will generate role-playing. Finger play will accompany singing. The outdoor area and garden will promote appreciation of nature.

Motor skills, language, and social/emotional development occur through play, which is "so powerful," Hammond said.

"They're going to learn these skills in a meaningful environment," she said.

The scheduling options allow for flexibility and for parents to choose which choice is best developmentally for their child, Hammond said.

Wooster campus offers unique opportunities

The College of Wooster campus, "a walking campus," she said, offers unique opportunities for preschool students, including exposure to subjects such as geology.

Partnering with various academic departments benefits the young students and the college students, who gain real-life experience in fields such as speech pathology while engaging with the preschool, Hammond said.

The College has been supportive of the preschool, as has the community, Hammond said.

"It fills a niche," she said, describing it as play-based, child-directed and non-denominational.

Reopening it offers an “opportunity to rebrand and relaunch” the school, she said.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: College of Wooster preschool reopens after yearlong hiatus