Early Education

 

Our Philosophy

 

We believe that children learn best in a caring and nurturing environment where they can explore, create and have a variety of play experiences. Learning opportunities should be developmentally appropriate and address all areas of growth including social emotional, physical and cognitive development. The education of young children is a collaboration involving families, teachers, education & related service specialists and communities. Our programs offer an abundance of opportunities for children to be outside participating in active play and interacting with nature. 

 

Note to Parents/Guardians:

OSSD is now accepting preschool enrollment registrations for 3, 4, or 5 year old children for the 2023-2024 school year If your child will be at least 3 by September 1st and you are interested in free preschool in Braintree, Brookfield or Randolph Elementary schools please contact Stephanie Reyes or you can call 728-9555.

All three of our district elementary schools operate free multi-age preschool  programs that welcome 3 year olds for the morning and 4 year olds for full school day hours four days a week. There is not a charge for any of our programs unless your family lives outside of our district. 

The OSSD maintains a preschool waiting list for families who are interested in having their children attend one of our preschool programs when the programs are at capacity. Families are welcome to place their child on the waiting list once the child turns 2 years old or at any time following the child’s second birthday. If you live in the towns of Braintree, Brookfield or Randolph, please call Stephanie Reyes or Pat Miller at RES at 728-9555 to place your child on the waiting list. We will be in touch as soon as space becomes available for your child.

 

 

Our Early Education Programs

The OSSD  has four early education programs that any family living in our school district can access free of charge. Families may indicate their preference of school and we will do our best to meet your needs. All district preschool programs are led by a certified early education teacher and include all preschool children regardless of disability or need. Regardless of which school you choose for preschool your child will be required to return to their “home” school for their elementary years. We have found it’s often beneficial for most children to attend preschool in their local school as this eases the transition into kindergarten. 

“As an educator, it’s been my observation that children who spend time in high quality preschool benefit socially, academically, and intellectually, and I’m excited that the OSSD can offer this to families," says Pat Miller, former principal at Braintree School and current Early Ed Administrator. "Our preschool staff has received specialized training in operating outdoor classrooms and are very enthusiastic about bringing this opportunity to area preschool students. Each week children spend a significant amount of time outside in the woods and fields surrounding each school learning about nature and exploring the great  outdoors."

OSSD district preschool programs all use the Vermont Early Learning Standards and TSGold assessment system as required by Vermont Child Care Licensing Regulations. Our teachers also use the Prekindergarten Numbers and Operations Math Assessment with four year olds annually along with informal literacy assessments that correlate with the elementary assessment systems.  

 

If you have any questions regarding preschool in the OSSD, please do not hesitate to give us a call or email us.