For Brenda Kness, teaching at the community-based preschool program in Arma has never been about recognition or accolades.
Kness, the school’s first employee when the program was created in 2003, does it because she loves her job and she truly cares about the well-being of the kids. The same can be said for all of the school’s staff members.
“We just like what we do,” Kness said. “It is kind of nice to get a pat on our back, but we do this because we love it.”
That “pat on the back” recently came in the form of state recognition for the program, which is a collaborative effort of several area agencies, including Southeast Kansas Interlocal 637, Northeast USD 246, SEK-CAP Head Start, Southeast Kansas Education Service Center, Family Resource Center, Community Mental Health Center of Crawford County and the Expanded Food and Nutrition Extension program.
During last month’s annual meeting of the state chapter of the Division for Early Childhood of the National Council for Exceptional Children, the Arma program was recognized for “best practice” in the area of School/Community Collaboration. According to a news release, the program was the lone preschool selected by the Kansas State Department of Education for the award.
“Over the past few years,” stated a news release from the University of Kansas Life Span Institute, “this program has undertaken and accomplished a change in the planning and delivery of preschool services. The program is based on a seamless service model and continuity of educational services for all preschool children in the community.
“The program was built on the unique strengths of each partner, which established this unique program that interfaces staff allocations, materials and resources while serving children in an individually and developmentally appropriate preschool environment.”
Debbie Potter, early childhood and special education coordinator for Crawford and west Bourbon counties, said the program was formed to give children in Arma and surrounding rural communities an opportunity for the preschool experience.
“There are a lot of agencies that have worked together to put together a program for a district that otherwise wouldn’t be able to have this type of program,” Potter said. “In rural areas, children are limited in their access to preschool. Just getting it going was a big step because there were some who said that there weren’t enough kids to justify it. I had always said that if you build it, they will come.”
Potter said the recent statewide recognition is further evidence that the program has been a success, and she hopes other small, rural communities will be encouraged to create similar programs.
“We were thrilled to receive the award,” she said. “It brings state attention to some creative problem-solving that the partners were able to do. We hope it can be replicated in some form in other small communities.”
There are approximately 30 children in the school, which includes a Head Start program, four-year-old at-risk program and a program for children with special needs. A pilot four-year-old preschool program, while separate from the inclusive preschool program, is also offered. Potter said funding for the program is “creatively split between the agencies.”
“It’s a small community,” she said. “What we’ve done is blend resources and come up with a solution to not having free, public preschool in the Arma community.”
Kness said the importance and value of the program continues to show in the number of students who are enrolled into the program.
“Just having a preschool experience for the children in Arma — and not just Arma, but also Mulberry and Arcadia — is vital to prepare them for kindergarten,” she said. “We want the children to be happy and have a good time while they are here.”
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For Brenda Kness, teaching at the community-based preschool program in Arma has never been about recognition or accolades.
Kness, the school’s first employee when the program was created in 2003, does it because she loves her job and she truly cares about the well-being of the kids. The same can be said for all of the school’s staff members.
“We just like what we do,” Kness said. “It is kind of nice to get a pat on our back, but we do this because we love it.”
That “pat on the back” recently came in the form of state recognition for the program, which is a collaborative effort of several area agencies, including Southeast Kansas Interlocal 637, Northeast USD 246, SEK-CAP Head Start, Southeast Kansas Education Service Center, Family Resource Center, Community Mental Health Center of Crawford County and the Expanded Food and Nutrition Extension program.
During last month’s annual meeting of the state chapter of the Division for Early Childhood of the National Council for Exceptional Children, the Arma program was recognized for “best practice” in the area of School/Community Collaboration. According to a news release, the program was the lone preschool selected by the Kansas State Department of Education for the award.
“Over the past few years,” stated a news release from the University of Kansas Life Span Institute, “this program has undertaken and accomplished a change in the planning and delivery of preschool services. The program is based on a seamless service model and continuity of educational services for all preschool children in the community.
“The program was built on the unique strengths of each partner, which established this unique program that interfaces staff allocations, materials and resources while serving children in an individually and developmentally appropriate preschool environment.”
Debbie Potter, early childhood and special education coordinator for Crawford and west Bourbon counties, said the program was formed to give children in Arma and surrounding rural communities an opportunity for the preschool experience.
“There are a lot of agencies that have worked together to put together a program for a district that otherwise wouldn’t be able to have this type of program,” Potter said. “In rural areas, children are limited in their access to preschool. Just getting it going was a big step because there were some who said that there weren’t enough kids to justify it. I had always said that if you build it, they will come.”
Potter said the recent statewide recognition is further evidence that the program has been a success, and she hopes other small, rural communities will be encouraged to create similar programs.
“We were thrilled to receive the award,” she said. “It brings state attention to some creative problem-solving that the partners were able to do. We hope it can be replicated in some form in other small communities.”
There are approximately 30 children in the school, which includes a Head Start program, four-year-old at-risk program and a program for children with special needs. A pilot four-year-old preschool program, while separate from the inclusive preschool program, is also offered. Potter said funding for the program is “creatively split between the agencies.”
“It’s a small community,” she said. “What we’ve done is blend resources and come up with a solution to not having free, public preschool in the Arma community.”
Kness said the importance and value of the program continues to show in the number of students who are enrolled into the program.
“Just having a preschool experience for the children in Arma — and not just Arma, but also Mulberry and Arcadia — is vital to prepare them for kindergarten,” she said. “We want the children to be happy and have a good time while they are here.”
