Boys & Girls Club in Shelton to hold Pre-K open house

SHELTON - The Boys & Girls Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley will hold an open house for the Pre-K program from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 10 at 1 Positive Place.

Parents are welcome to take a tour, meet the teachers, and see the classroom. 
Interactive sessions are available from 8-9 a.m., noon-1 p.m., and 5-6 p.m.
Head teacher Nikki Stockmal will be on hand to answer questions and provide information for interested parents.
Pre-K program participants have countless opportunities to learn each day, with the chance to develop fine and gross motor skills, participate in dramatic play and arts, be constructively engaged with other children and adult staff, and develop math, literacy, and critical-thinking skills, including numbers and letters. 

The program is open to all 3-5 year olds who aren't enrolled in school; children must be fully potty trained. 
Two nutritious snacks will be provided; parents must provide lunch.
The Boys & Girls Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley has been changing the lives of young people for more than 60 years. With programs ranging from homework assistance to nutrition to sports, we help all young people to reach their full potential, but especially those from disadvantaged circumstances.

For more information about the Pre-K program, contact Nikki Stockmal at NikkiStockmal@BGC-LNV.org or 203-924-9329.


This is a press release from the Boys & Girls Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley.

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Pre-K at St. Mary-St. Michael School in Derby ready for St. Patrick's Day

Pre-K students at St. Mary-St. Michael School celebrate the wearing o’ the green earlier this week. 

*This photo is shared with permission.

Kindergarten registration slated at Family Fun Fair in Ansonia

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Crisco visits pre-K classroom at Mead School in Ansonia

State Sen. Joseph J. Crisco, D-Woodbridge, visited a new "Smart Start" pre-K classroom for 12 students that he helped fund through the state budget and now in operation at John C. Mead School in Ansonia. Crisco looked on as two students girls examined pine cones, acorns and small stones under a tabletop magnifying glass./ Submitted photo

ANSONIA - State Sen. Joseph Crisco Jr., D-Woodbridge, Wednesday toured a new pre-kindergarten classroom for 12 children at John C. Mead School that he helped create and fund last year through Connecticut’s Smart Start initiative.

The initiative is a competitive state grant program designed to expand preschool classrooms in public school settings.

Ansonia successfully applied for $75,000 in state funding (which Crisco voted for) to retrofit and furnish a classroom with new desks, chairs, bookshelves, rugs and other equipment. The Smart Start hours will be from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily for the entire 181-day Ansonia Public School system school year.

“Over the past decade, Ansonia has done a tremendous job of increasing the percentage of kids who are entering first grade with pre-K experience, and we all know that every bit of early learning a child gets makes a great difference down the road,” Crisco said.

“I was very proud to support Connecticut’s Smart Start pre-K initiative, and very proud to vote for the funds to make it a success, and I am equally happy that some of that money has come home to help kids right here in Ansonia.”

“It is a great opportunity to be able to expose more of Ansonia’s pre-K age students to the readiness skills required for kindergarten,” Mead School Interim Principal Elizabeth Nimons said. “It also provides them time in a school setting to develop their vocabulary and language acquisition skills.”

Since 1998, Ansonia has provided a high-quality preschool program for 3- and 4-year olds through the School Readiness program. In 2004, the percentage of children entering kindergarten in Ansonia was 33%; by 2013, that had increased to 78%.

The new Smart Start classroom will be staffed by one certified early childhood/special education teacher; a non-certified lead teacher with an associate’s degree in early childhood education; and a non-certified Pre-K classroom support assistant with experience in special education classes.


This is a press release from Crisco's office.