The Chester County Retired Teachers Association met at noon on Wednesday, Sept. 18, at Snookum’s Steakhouse. The meeting was sponsored by First Bank, and the meal was a wonderful grilled chicken breast with baked potato and salad. There were 23 members in attendance.
The service project was collecting funds for Fine Arts in the elementary schools. Teachers Becky Hartle and Lauren Malachi serve all Chester County students in grades K through third.
Keith Brown opened our meeting with prayer. The pledge was led by Janice Brown, and Kim Scott brought our Thought for the Day: All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.
Our program topic covered three Pre-K services available in Chester County. Featured speakers were, first, Melissa Judd, Director of Pre-K for the Chester County School System, which currently serves 58 students in five classes. Services are needs based, fully funded with tax dollars and uses a “Connect for Learning” curriculum approved by the state department with the Brigance screener as a measure of kindergarten readiness.
Next, Mallory Carroll, Director of Noah’s Ark Pre-school, housed in the First United Methodist Church facility. They currently serve 82 students in six classes with a Bible based curriculum. Their spring semester features a “Kindergarten Bootcamp” for those starting Kindergarten in the fall using the same Brigance screener used for public schools.
Lastly, Carlos Schmitt gave the history and development of his Keystone Academy, a certified child care center serving ages six weeks through Pre-K. They currently serve 120 children with 30 employees. Childcare is parent funded, but they also accept Tennessee childcare assistance payments. They are available from 6:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Next quarter’s meeting date has changed from the usual third Wednesday to Dec. 11. It will be hosted by Freed-Hardeman at the Hope Shull Library. The service project will be monetary donations for the yearly scholarship.
