Pioneering with Adaptability
What does it mean to become an expert or master in a given field?
It takes 10,000 hours of practice according to the author of the best selling book, Outliers by Malcom Gladwell. He considers the key to success is simply a matter of practicing a specific field/task with 20 hours of work a week for 10 years. By this definition, MILE Preschool has become an expert in its field as we have spent countless hours practicing and gaining extensive knowledge through the years.
The roots of MILE Preschool started in 2004 as a home based preschool with 3 paying customers. In 2005, we took part in the Universal Preschool for West Sacramento (UP4WS program) which connected families to high quality early learning opportunities from those who meet quality standards. It was such an amazing 1st step to our journey as MILE Preschool. We were the pioneers that pushed boundaries to advance an idea of developing a multiple intelligence curriculum into the homes of qualified teachers. In 2006, we became a preschool with 2 locations that taught under the MILE Preschool philosphy. By 2010, we grew into our 3rd location with 6 different programs that focused on age groups! During the next 2 years, we established an extended care program which was an expansion to our morning preschool hours. Many programs at this time were only full day or part time. But with this extended care option, we pioneered the concept of extending our time with the children for our families. We then adapted and opened our doors to an afterschool program which gave us more time with the alumni students of MILE Preschool. In late 2013, MILE Preschool opened up their first full day center in a church, located in South Sacramento. However, our hearts remained in our community so we closed our center in 2017 to open up our 4th location in West Sacramento. By 2019, there was a total of five locations that offered a multiple intelligence experience to our community! Presently, with COVID-19, we are now offering a virtual classroom and learning hubs for Kindergarten – 2nd grade, in addition to our morning programs.
Pioneering and adaptations are the traits that are rooted in MILE Preschool. Through the years, we adapted our programs to meet the needs of our community. In 2014, all MILE Preschool teachers became certified from the Center of Social & Emotional Foundations for Early Learners. As teachers, we learned so many strategies to adapt to change through this resource. Oftentimes, we reference practical strategies that parents can use during this pandemic. Scripted stories for social situations help children (and adults) understand social interactions/situations, expectations, unfamiliar activities, and/or social rules. MILE Preschool loves to reference the Superfriend story about when you feel frustrated or angry, you need to STOP, THINK and DO. So let’s practice this strategy now: When you feel frustrated, take 2 deep breaths and say “I can go with the flow” If I am still having a hard time, I can ask for help. “Can you help me please?” Just like children, during this pandemic, when given information that helps us understand the expectations of a situation, our behavior within the problem is reduced or minimized. MILE Preschool loves to let our programs flow naturally and our resilience in life makes us grow stronger as we embrace the change and manage challenges in positive ways. We have pioneered numerous different programs and adapted to the needs of the community for the past 16 years.
During the pandemic, we had to STOP, then we had to THINK about ways to help our community and we DELIVERED by expanding our boundaries. Becoming more flexible and having a positive frame of mind about our brand new virtual platform called “Our MILE Friends At Home” has become very reassuring. Screen time is limited because we offer engaging circle time with the objective of the day including music & movement. There are 2 projects per day where they get to view a teacher engaging in auditory and visual directions before they disconnect from their screen to create their own masterpiece. The world is different and with our variety of programs and our new virtual classrooms, we can lead MILE Preschool as an activator of change rather than a reactionary agent. Knowing what is important to MILE Preschool gives purpose and sets the direction for all the children that are unable to attend a live preschool program. With this newfound purpose and meaning within our program, it provides us with courage to step out of our comfort zone to provide greater opportunities to the children of our community.