Good morning, Ms. Vernetta,” says Matthew sporting a smile as he signs in his three-year-old son and walks him to class — exactly what his mom used to do when Matthew was enrolled as a toddler at Self Development. This routine of signing the child and the accompanying polite manners of greeting people as one meets have continued at Self Development Preschool (SDP) since its inception, 35 years ago, in 1988.
Matthew first came to SDP as a toddler. He loved his teachers, made many friends, and honed many skills necessary for success in school and life. A few decades later, after thoroughly researching several area early childhood programs, Matthew enrolled his son at SDP. Matthew’s mother unequivocally supported the decision to select SDP
Matthew and his mother were pleasantly surprised that more than two decades later, Ms.Vernetta, the director, and Ms. Loni, the toddler teacher, were still working at the school. Additionally, they learned Ms. Rachel and Ms.Cinda, long-term employees of Self Development, recently retired, and Ms. Cinda still substituted occasionally.
In an industry overwhelmed by staff turnover, the early childhood program at Self Development Preschool proudly boasts that the teachers at SDP continue to work for many years as they pursue their passion to make a difference in the lives of these precious children. With the commitment to the greater good, the staff continues to work at SDP, year after year. Thus, the parents are comforted that they see the familiar faces of teachers who nurture their beloved children.
SDP’s record of low staff turnover speaks volumes about the quality of the program the preschool offers to its students. A vital component of a quality early childhood program is the staff: the consistency, reliability, education, and training of nurturing caregivers and early childhood educators.
Ms. Terri interacts and cares for the two-year-olds using a well-researched and highly integrated SDP curriculum. She monitors for all age-appropriate milestones. Ms. Mickey and Ms. Amber in the 3-year-old program work hard to prepare students for the vertically aligned curriculum for the next level. Ms. Crystal and Ms. Anna work with the four-year-olds and prepare them for kindergarten. Not only do they have several years of experience working with children, but both Ms. Crystal and Ms. Anna have bachelor’s degrees, in elementary education and sociology with a focus on teaching, respectively.
Besides a well-qualified staff and a rigorous curriculum, SDP’s early childhood program exemplifies what high-quality preschool should provide. Quality early childhood programs must address the four areas of growth and development — cognitive, social, emotional, and physical. The first five years of a child’s life are critical. Children grow rapidly in all areas of development, including cognitive development. SDP uses a rigorous and purposefully developed curriculum to help support children’s cognitive development. Children learn to communicate through listening, and talking. Teachers assist children in using communication skills to learn new concepts and develop an understanding of the world surrounding them.
Early literacy is an essential component of SDP’s curriculum. It is not too early to expose children as young as two years or younger to the alphabet through songs, books, and crafts. SDP staff not only introduces the three-year-old and four-year-old students to pre-reading and pre-writing, but if they are ready, they begin the actual reading process, through letter/sound recognition, phonics, word recognition, and reading with fluency and expression.
Social development enables the growing preschoolers to form bonds and relationships with others including the “ Self Development Preschool Has Been Serving Mesa for 35 Years caregivers. An excellent early childhood program, such as SDP, provides a nurturing environment where children learn to interact positively with their friends and adults. Through play, they learn to solve problems and create situations where they resolve issues and learn to respect each other. They learn to remain calm, relaxed, and collected through challenging situations.
Emotional development is the ability to recognize and express one’s own feelings, as well as the ability to understand the emotions of others. Children listen to various music, observe and examine artwork, and recognize their reactions and emotions. By listening to carefully selected stories, children learn to identify with different characters and can develop compassion and concern. As the name Self Development specifies, we provide building blocks for developing self-esteem and a strong sense of self by focusing on effort resilience.
Physical development addresses physical growth in size, muscle coordination, and body control. The spacious playground provides ample opportunities to climb, slide, ride trikes, and run and hide. Whether at the art center, water play area, or the stem room, children hone their fine motor skills to become adept in grasping, picking small items, and counting.
For nearly 35 years, Self Development Preschool has provided a state-of-the-art preschool experience to Mesa’s generation of families, first the children and now the grandchildren.
To learn more about Self Development Preschool, please contact (480) 396-3522 and for the accelerated K-8 program, please contact Self Development Academy at (480) 641-2640.