NIAGARA FALLS — Ava Luchese has a serious case of the wiggles.  The 3-year-old spins around in a circle, holding multicolored ribbons that twirl with her. When she gets bored — or perhaps a little dizzy — she abandons the ribbons for a turn on the slide, walks across the child-sized balance beam, and finally settles on a blue hula hoop.

Every day at LaSalle Early Childhood Center, Ava gets to burn off her energy in the "Wiggle Room," a play area outfitted with activities to help the center's 3- and 4-year-olds work their developing muscles, and hone their gross motor skills.

The “Wiggle Room” came as a result of the center's participation in the Quality Improvement Program of Niagara, aimed at improving education in childcare centers in Niagara County and increasing kindergarten readiness.

Over the span of a year, members of Niagara University’s department of education have been working with a group of administrators and teachers from 10 licensed childcare centers in Niagara Falls and Lockport. Three employees from each center participated in a 45-hour professional development certificate program at the university. In January, the 10 graduated from the program in a ceremony at NU.

 

wiggle ...

Continued from page 1C

Marybeth Simoneit, director of the LaSalle Early Childhood Center, met her mentor, Justina Freedman, in January 2011. Freedman’s job was to visit the center once a week, assessing the children and the learning environment, and implementing changes.

One of the biggest things Freedman noted was a need for a play area. The center’s only playground was outside, usable only in fair weather, and it required a walk across a parking lot to get there. Thus, the "Wiggle Room" was born, converted from an office, conference room and storage area to a colorful, kid-friendly space.

 

****

Among children, the "Wiggle Room" is a big hit. Marybeth Simoneit said it even intrigues the students' younger siblings who don't yet attend the center, as well as older siblings who finished preschool before the room was built.

As for 3-year-old Ian Rogers, it seems he might never stop playing on the bouncy balls if he didn’t have to go back to the classroom. The blond-haired boy bounces back and forth, racing with other children to the finish line. He teeters over into another child but laughs it off and gets back up.

The changes implemented at the pre-school center as a result of the NU program have done more than provide children like Ian a place to play. Simoneit said the school has seen 30 percent fewer absences in the first five months this year than the previous year.

 

****

Beyond the 30 early childhood educators selected to participate in NU’s program, all staff members at the ten participating pre-school centers were able to attend less formal “short courses” at the university.

Sade Rios, a teacher at the HANCI-Trott Learning Center, said a short course on creative art projects, such as freestyle painting with unconventional items like potato mashers and toilet brushes, gave her unique and fun ideas for age-appropriate activities.

“It showed me a lot to bring back to the class,” Rios said. “(The children) said, ‘Are you really letting us do this?’”

Directors echoed positive views of the professional development program.

“When I went through the program, they enlightened me again,” said Patricia Martin, assistant director of the Ready to Grow Learning Center, who has been teaching for more than 35 years.

Simoneit said the program reminded her how critical her job is.

“It affirmed my professional opinion of myself … I think people think childcare is babysitting, but I consider it one of the most important jobs in the world.”

 

****

Another group of 10 early childcare centers began their immersion in the QIP in mid-January, with 31 new people in the professional development program, said Lynette Haley, director of the QIP of Niagara. Some of these centers are located beyond the Lockport-Niagara Falls target area, reaching into areas including North Tonawanda.

Freedman and fellow mentor Gerald Smith will continue to visit once a month to check up on the progress of the centers that have completed the program. Smith said his drop-ins at the centers convinced him of the importance of the changes the program has inspired.

“To see that some of the things we were working on were still being done, that was a big thing for me,” Smith said.

The centers that have completed the program will receive on-going support from NU. All the staff from the first class will be able to attend future short courses. Haley will also meet four times a year with the directors of those centers to discuss progress.

The three-year program, orchestrated by the Niagara Area Foundation, has been funded with the support of the United Way and $625,000 from the Grigg-Lewis Foundation and the Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Foundation.

Ultimately, those involved say it’s about giving the staff of early childcare centers greater access to the resources they need to operate so that area children are given stronger foundations.

“Quality care begins with (early childhood educators), and they are the gatekeepers of quality,” Haley said. “We are helping them to establish these centers that have outstanding care for the children, because every child deserves high-quality programming.”