<\/p>\n
The Dolores School District will add infants and toddlers to its student body beginning next school year.<\/p>\n
The preschool was awarded $25,000 in grants from the Buell Foundation and the Colorado Department of Education to start the new program serving kids ages 6 weeks to 3 years old.<\/p>\n
A two-room modular building will be moved to a lot and concrete pad next door to the district\u2019s Teddy Bear preschool on Hillside Drive.<\/p>\n
\u201cA large, local day care is closing down, and there is a real need for this service for families and our teachers with young children,\u201d said Valiena Rosenkrance, Teddy Bear pre-school director for the Dolores school district.<\/p>\n
Sixteen slots are available, and the roster is filling up fast, she said. The tuition-based school is expected to be about $38 per day.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re very excited and proud to start this program,\u201d Rosenkrance said. \u201cOur trained staff will focus on autonomy, cognition and socialization skills to get them ready for preschool.\u201d<\/p>\n
The new school will create four new teaching jobs, with two teachers per eight children.<\/p>\n
Current Teddy Bear pre-school teachers Nori Begay and Cristy Gomez will take over teaching positions at the infant-toddler school. Two assistant teachers with early childhood development training will also be hired for the new school. The transition creates two teaching vacancies at the pre-school, which will be filled.<\/p>\n
The infant-toddler school is expected to be open Monday through Thursday and will follow the school calendar.<\/p>\n
Superintended Scott Cooper said the drop in enrollment of 50 students this year allowed the school to consolidate students inside the main building, freeing up a modular classroom for the new toddler school.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo have this become a reality this quickly is impressive and a testament to the hard work of our Teddy Bear School staff and the community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The start-up grant helped cover school materials, cribs, construction, moving and placing the modular, and utility hookups.<\/p>\n
Officials said the in-kind services offered by community businesses helped make the new school a reality, including by Cortez Electric, Corky\u2019s Plumbing, Top Designs, and Rosendahl Engineering.<\/p>\n
For more information contact the Teddy Bear pre-school at (970) 882-2159.<\/p>\n