Where students 'earn their stripes'

ATTICA --- Seneca East Local Schools has established its own Tiny Tigers Preschool during the 2022-2023 school year. The preschool is made up of two classrooms with a licensed teacher and certified aide in each classroom, according to Matt Schock, preschool director. This year the program currently has 36 students enrolled in Tiny Tigers Preschool. According to Schock, preschool opportunities with readily available transportation to fit the needs of parents were hard to come by in the area. "Over 50% of the children who attended Seneca East Local Schools as kindergarten students in the 2021-2022 school year entered with no preschool experience," Schock continued. "This paired with a couple of open classrooms in our elementary wing paired with a desire to provide today's children with a play-based educational experience, we set forth in developing our preschool with the help of the NCOESC." Schock said having a preschool experience would play a significant role in the lives of young children as it would provide them with a consistent and engaging school experience at a young age. The preschool classrooms are both labeled as "typical classrooms," Schock said, which accommodate students with and without IEP's. "All students are able to learn and grow while being nurtured by our caring staff," he added. The motto of the preschool is, "Where Tigers Earn Their Stripes." "We believe the benefit of having a preschool within the district is to provide children who may not have had a previous opportunity the chance to attend school and engage in an environment where they will be exposed to and develop educational, social, physical, and emotional skills that will help them prosper prior to entering kindergarten," Schock said. The program offers a full-day session from 8 a.m.-3 p.m., Monday through Thursday. For more information, contact Matt Schock at mschock@se-tigers.com.