BOCES preschool program helps train the next generation of early childhood educators

The Eastern Suffolk BOCES preschool program at the Ward Technical Center Academy in Riverhead is looking for children to enroll for the fall to keep the program, which helps develop the next generation of early childhood educators, up and running.

The program costs $200 and runs on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8:30-10:00 and 12:30-2:00 from October to May. The program accepts children from 2 1/2 to 4 years old.

Debra Hohlhepp, a teacher in the program, said that while the program is only an hour-and-a-half session, it is inexpensive and offers a great opportunity for young children to socialize. 

“It’s a socialization program where the children that we have in the preschool, this is their first introduction to any kind of formal school,” Hohlhepp said. “So we do activities with them. We teach them basics, like letters and counting. We work on their fine motor skills. We have a little playground, we take them outside. We run it like a regular preschool. It’s just because we only have an hour and a half, it’s a condensed program.”

Before the pandemic, the program averaged around nine children per class. That amount has diminished to around five the past two years, Hohlhepp said, because of the COVID-19 pandemic and an influx of government investment into universal pre-kindergarten programs, which has led some parents to put their 4-year-olds into those programs instead of in the BOCES program. 

“It’s a wonderful beginning program,” Hohlhepp said. “But nobody knows about us.”

The preschool needs new children to help train the next generation of early childhood educators, Hohlhepp said. High school students in nearby school districts enroll in the early childhood education program and are taught how to teach the preschool class and work with young children.

“I feel like it’s such a good opportunity for them to do some career exploration,” Hohlhepp said.

Students who enter the class create and lead activities and lessons. If the student continues onto another year in the program, which involves an internship at a different local preschool, they can take a test to earn a Child Development Associate credential, which allows them to go to work in a preschool after they graduate from high school as a lead teacher. 

Azaharia Allen, a senior in Riverhead High School, was originally in the BOCES program for cosmetology until she took interest in the early childhood education program and switched. She is in her second year of the program and is on track to earn her Child Development Associate credential.

She said child development is her backup and she is going to a four-year college to study social work.

“This gives me a little insight into classrooms, and what I don’t like and what I do like,” Allen said. “So this was kind of like a trial run for me, but I ended up enjoying it.”

Allen said the program taught her about patience — it takes a lot to deal with preschool age children, she said — and how to work as a team with other students to effectively run a preschool.

Jaqueline Campos, a senior in Riverhead High School, said from a young age she always enjoyed working with kids. She said the program has helped her focus on setting goals and helped her figure out what she wants to do as a career. 

Campos said after high school she will go to college and pursue a career helping and teaching disabled kids. “In the future, I definitely plan to use whatever I learned in the preschool and in the classroom to help other children,” she said. 

Parents enrolling their children in the preschool program must complete an application form, have all immunizations up-to-date, and transportation must be provided to and from the preschool program, according to the program’s website. Enrollment ends in September. For more information, contact the teachers at 631-208-2034.