by Monique Hodgkinson

Reading time. Photos: Monique Hodgkinson.

If you are 3 or 4 years old in small, rural Pescadero in San Mateo County south of Half Moon Bay, you are probably one of the lucky children that attend the Pescadero Preschool.

Time for science.

At 8 a.m. Lori Knittel, the bus driver, guides you and your preschool pals into the South Coast’s wonderful learning center, where teacher Norka Bailey and classrooom aides Margie Nowland and Adrienne Gelay warmly welcome you. After placing your belongings into your assigned cubbyhole, you are immediately swept up into a world of imagination and learning. Preschool is a time for learning and exploring — a time to interact with other children through cooperative activities and play.

For a preschooler the day begins by washing hands. Hungry children have a healthy breakfast waiting for them. The letters of the week are M and S. Today’s meal includes apples. When cut in half the core of the apple forms stars. An “S” word. “The children might not eat their apples, but they always eat their stars,” Bailey says. Children who are not ready to eat are busy playing. There are Brio trains, crayons, a play kitchen, books and so much more. One little boy takes his dad by the hand for a tour of the classroom, beckoning him to join this happy world.

Norka Bailey reading to student.

At 8:45 it is time for all the children to gather in the reading area. With a big smile, Bailey leads the children in song as they “get the wiggles out” before they sit down for reading. Children have eagerly picked out books to share with the group. As the books are read, Bailey asks questions so that reading time is interactive. Every single child is intensely focused on the stories; there aren’t any wiggles during story time.

Each day, there is a special activity, which is posted on a board that illustrates the preschool routine. Today’s activity is gardening. Quickly, the children pull on their jackets to go out to the garden. With magnifying glasses, they examine the plants in the garden. “What’s this?” a little girl asks. She has found a tiny apple that fell off the tree before growing into a full-sized fruit. Gelay hands out the children’s journals, which they use to draw what they have seen in the garden. Bailey then works with each child to write a caption about what they have drawn. The children patiently await their turn. Later, some of the children water the plants, while the others play in the magical playhouse, which was donated to the preschool. The minutes quickly tick by, and it is time to go back inside.

An engaged young reader.

Jackets are put back into cubbyholes. Now it’s music time; the children select the drums, bells and tambourines that they want to play. Bailey drums on an African drum, while little voices chime in to sing the songs that they have learned so well.

It is now 10:20, time to get ready to go home. Jackets go on and the children line up at the door. Nowland talks with the children while they wait for Knittel to come pick them up for the bus ride home. At 11 a.m. the preschool day starts again with a second group. This time, lunch is served. It is macaroni, an “M” word.