Tiny Pirates Preschool earns accreditation

By Neal A. Johnson

By Neal A. Johnson, UD Editor
Posted 3/10/21

Chamois R-1 Tiny Pirates Preschool Director Gretchen Dudenhoeffer said she is very pleased the program, which launched in 2015-16, has achieved recognition of excellence through Missouri …

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Tiny Pirates Preschool earns accreditation

By Neal A. Johnson

Posted

Chamois R-1 Tiny Pirates Preschool Director Gretchen Dudenhoeffer said she is very pleased the program, which launched in 2015-16, has achieved recognition of excellence through Missouri Accreditation, which distinguishes the preschool as an exemplary program offering high-quality programming to the children of Missouri.
“It’s very rewarding that the state of Missouri recognizes we are doing impeccable work here,” said Dudenhoeffer. “I’m really proud of that because it’s a lot of work to get accredited.”
There are no signs of participation slowing down, as there are already the maximum 15 students enrolled for the 2021-22 school year, with two more on a waiting list. “It’s huge because a lot of people have heard we have a good preschool and want their child to go here,” said Dudenhoeffer. “That word of mouth is fantastic.”
Dudenhoeffer and her lone employee, Brooke Walsch, have run the preschool since day one, and they have known most of the students now enrolled since they were babies. “We had all their older siblings and there have been families with several children come through here,” she added.
The absence of a preschool program occurred prior to the 2015-16 school year when the Head Start program, unfortunately, closed down.
“The community had a void for early childhood education that previously did not exist,” said Superintendent Lyle Best.
The closing of Head Start occurred just prior to the time Best began working for Chamois R-I, and the school board made it clear that something had to be done to provide early childhood education for the community. The options were to completely self-fund the program or to seek start-up assistance in the form of a grant. Through hard work and careful planning, the district was awarded a Missouri Preschool Project (MPP) grant from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).
The grant is a five-year cycle in which funding is reduced over that period as the program begins to sustain itself. Chamois is in the final year of the program.
“Mrs. Dudenhoeffer and her staff have maintained Missouri Licensing and Accreditation throughout this time, which the community should be proud of,” said Best.
It wasn’t difficult to earn the trust and respect of the community when Tiny Pirates opened. “I think the community was really on board and wanted a preschool here,” said Dudenhoeffer. “When Head Start closed, there were several parents without a place to send their children.”
“Tiny Pirates Preschool has been a wonderful addition to the school district and community,” Best said. “The credit goes to Mrs. Dudenhoeffer, Mrs. Walsch, and Mrs. Luker, all of whom worked very hard during the start-up of the program. Early childhood education is one of the most important, if not most important, part of any school district. Chamois is fortunate to have a quality staff devoted to this program.”
With Head Start, there was an income eligibility aspect to enrollment, which the organization said was lacking in Chamois.
Tiny Pirates has been funded by the state grant and there are different enrollment rules.
“Regardless of how it’s funded, the preschool is necessary,” said Dudenhoeffer. “Kids need it for social interaction and learning the ins-and-outs of how to do things to be ready for kindergarten. Little things like opening a carton of milk and serving your food and following simple directions are all important skills kids need to learn.”
Dudenhoeffer assists with kindergarten screening but students at the preschool are in their own little bubble and the group is separate from the others except for very limited crossover interaction.
She also works closely with Parents as Teachers, both for recommendations on who needs to be enrolled at the preschool and for students who want to interact with PAT’s group activities.
With school being shut down in the spring of 2020, planning amid the COVID-19 crisis for the next school year was a challenge but once school began in August, Dudenhoeffer said things have gone very well.
“We were only shut down one time for two weeks in October,” she said. “We’ve been very fortunate. While we were not able to meet at the school, I sent home materials for the children to work on, activities, and I sent videos. I gave parents all the materials they needed to kind of recreate what we do here on a daily basis, which I think helped them maintain consistency.”
Dudenhoeffer added that the families have been great to work with throughout the year. “We miss their interaction with the students,” she said, explaining a digital sign-in/out option has meant no parents have been inside the facility this year. “We’ve been used to having parents here helping out with things but that’s what we have to do right now to stay safe.”
Dudenhoeffer and Walsch follow health department guidelines, wearing a mask and making sure the children wash their hands frequently. “We don’t want to bring anything in that will hurt our kids, and we don’t want to take anything home to our families, so everyone is being very careful,” Dudenhoeffer said, adding that Dee Luker and JoAnn Hill serve as substitutes when necessary.
Since starting the program five years ago, Dudenhoeffer said she has tried to introduce one new activity or learning tool each year.
She introduced conscious discipline, the social-emotional piece of helping children deal with disappointments or being upset in an appropriate manner.
“We talk about how we can fix our problems,” she said.
Dudenhoeffer also is working to get the preschool certified as a “Move Smart” school. Students are engaged in physical activity often each day. “We do a lot of gross-motor movements, be it dancing or something else that gets them moving,” she added.
Dudenhoeffer said she has seen a lot of growth among the students over the years, and always enjoys seeing them as they move into the elementary school. “I see them and they ask about their younger brother or sister,” she said. “They all still remember us and it’s neat to watch them grow.”
Of the 11 students enrolled this year, Dudenhoeffer knew nine of them as infants. “They’re comfortable with me and Brooke,” she said. “I think that’s wonderful.”
Dudenhoeffer expressed her appreciation for the support she’s received from Superintendent Best and the administration. “I feel blessed,” she said. “I love what I do, and I’m looking forward to many more years here.”
When the grant expires, the district will have to decide how to move forward.
“I would hope that when the grant runs out this year, we’ll have some other grant options or be able to sustain the preschool in some way because I think it’s important for their academic development,” said Dudenhoeffer. “We go a little further than just teaching kids here. We also help younger siblings that need help, and the Chamois Lions Club has helped with vision tests and provided glasses for those who need them. It’s a great part of what we offer.”
The MPP grant is nonrenewable. Best explained that programs can apply for new grants if they are expanding the size and scope of the existing program. Unfortunately, programs that serve smaller population centers are unable to have an enrollment that supports expansion in terms of grant requirements.
Dudenhoeffer said it would be difficult to increase the number of students due to the size of the facility and the manpower requirements that would come with such an expansion.
“Fifteen students is the right number to have enrolled,” she said.
Tiny Pirates has been funded in combination with grant funds, state, and local funds. Since grant funds will not be available next year, Best said the program will likely be sustained by state and local funds.
“The possibility does exist to use part of our Title I funds for the preschool program,” he said. “However, use of federal funds will reduce other local revenue sources for the program. The preschool program is a vital component of our district. I would hope the community would support the program by any means necessary. The program is not going anywhere, so people should not be worried about that. We will continue to look at the best ways to fund the program moving forward and other long-term needs. For instance, what are the facility needs of the program? The modular lease is expiring this summer and we will need to determine whether or not to continue to lease, purchase, or look at other solutions. What will give the program an opportunity to best serve our youngest population in the future?”
All of these questions will be reviewed by the school board in an upcoming meeting.
Tiny Pirates Preschool was awarded a Certificate of Accreditation by the Missouri Accreditation of Programs for Children and Youth as a quality program that offers developmentally appropriate experiences in an environment conducive to children flourishing intellectually, emotionally, socially, and physically.
Tiny Pirates Preschool will be included in the "Directory of Accredited Programs" located on the Missouri Accreditation website if the program selected that option. This directory, which serves as a useful guide to parents seeking a high-quality program for their children, may be reached at www.moaccreditation.org.