Free preschool available to district families

Published 6:27 pm Wednesday, November 15, 2006

By Staff
Inside Track, a Michigan school readiness program for 4-year-olds, still has openings for the 2006-07 school year.
This is a free program for those who qualify.
To apply for this program, your child must be 4 years old on or before Dec. 1, 2006, and a resident of the Dowagiac school district.
Inside Track is staffed by two state-certified teachers who hold additional endorsements qualifying them to teach preschool, and two teaching associates with more than 120 hours of special training.
The preschool provides a full line of ancillary services that include speech and language services, physical/occupational therapy and family counseling.
Inside Track is housed at Justus Gage Elementary School and has been in operation there since the five-room early childhood addition was completed in 2003.
The program runs from September through May and holds morning and afternoon sessions Monday through Thursday, with Fridays reserved for staff planning and parent conferencing.
Inside Track preschool is designed to meet the special needs of young children and has a variety of components that help to provide a positive and enriching environment.
The main focus of the program is on school-readiness skills.
This includes teaching emergent literacy skills designed to improve and enhance reading skills.
Students are also taught self-esteem, social skills and how to become independent learners.
A final goal of the program is to teach and reinforce problem-solving skills to parents as well as students. Parents are encouraged to participate in classroom learning activities, field trips and child/family activity events planned by the school.
For more information about this program, call Inside Track at 782-4484, contact the Justus Gage Elementary School office at 782-4460 or visit on the Web at www.dowagiacschools.org.