By SUSAN RUMBLE

Special to The Press

When Director Annette Wilcox and the staff and board of Neffs United Church of Christ Preschool prepared for the new term in September 2020, they realized distance learning would be advisable to protect participants from COVID-19.

Wilcox said the children’s response to the online program has been “perfectly fine.”

“This is what they’ve known. This is their normal. This is their school,” Wilcox said. “We have great feedback from parents. They’re so glad there is something going on.”

Wilcox said many grandparents are also involved in the class time as a parent or another adult must be nearby to watch over the children while they are engaged in school activities conducted virtually.

With the preschool being 100 percent distance learning, students who live outside the immediate area are also enrolled.

The preschool offers two, 20-minute online classes per week at a scheduled time for young people ages 3, 4 and 5.

Two staff members are present during sessions at all times, even in the virtual format.

When the term began, the preschool provided a box of basic supplies which included items such as art supplies, pencils, and glue for each student.

As classes progressed, the preschool provided learning boxes with materials for science experiments, work sheets, and books which could be picked up at the church.

Although teachers and other staff interact only with students in class on line, they did have an opportunity to meet the children in person during assessments at the start of the term.

“We knew the returning ones from past years. We met new kids at the box pick up. They see our faces on Zoom, so they know what we look like,” Wilcox said.

She noted sometimes they have a chance to say hi to the students from a safe vantage point such as socially distant trick-or-treating and the Santa drive-by at the church.

“We try to keep this as normal as possible in a brand-new format,” Wilcox explained.

The Neffs UCC Preschool curriculum is aligned with state Early Learning Standards.

Wilcox said children and teachers devote quite a bit of time to science.

“Preschoolers’ entire day is basically a science experiment,” she said.

Physics, chemistry, and biology are all integrated into the themes for each month.

Topics include states of matter - liquids, solids and gases; Arctic animals and study of blubber; buoyancy, sinking, floating, and the difference between fresh and salt water; and the human body.

Wilcox explained the distance learning preschool is very unusual.

“Many preschools closed, while others opened to a very limited number of children,” she said.

Wilcox, who is in her sixth year of leadership at Neffs UCC Preschool, earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan and her certification in administration from Lehigh University.

To learn more, call Wilcox at 610-462-1036.