ACPC Unveils Early Learning Bus
The Allen County Primary Center recently unveiled “Cadet,” their new early learning bus to help encourage preschool. The bus was the culmination of a collaborative effort between the school and the Kentucky Department of Education Office of Special Education and Early Learning. “We want to give them an authentic learning experience that they’ll never forget, and hopefully, the things that our community sees are an investment of our school district too, and empowering an elevated experience here at Allen County Primary Center,” Matt Shepherd, the preschool coordinator and assistant principal, said.
By Damon Stone,
Staff Writer
The Allen County Primary Center recently unveiled a mobile classroom, being that of a bus that was named “Cadet,” that had been flipped to act as a classroom for early learning, with the goal of encouraging parents to enroll their children into preschool.
Matt Shepherd, known at the school as Mr. Shep, the preschool coordinator and assistant principal, explained that the mobile classroom came about from a grant the school applied for two years ago during COVID, having been awarded with that grant by the end of that year.
“We hit the ground running, we sent out bids, and we knew there were some people that had done this more so than me, which is zero times,” Shepherd explained. “We sent out some bids, and we selected ABCO Contracting, which was all-encompassing. They were gonna take our bus, and then return a bus with our ideas together, into an early learning bus.”
Seats were removed, and replaced with several bits of furniture that would be typical of an early education classroom, with preschool teachers collaborating to determine what was to go in there, Shepherd said.
Sections on the bus include a dramatic play area, an art center, along with puzzles and books, along with an awning on the side for warmer weather, and a slide out the back of the bus.
Additionally, there are materials for the bus for practicing gross motor and fine motor skills inside and outside the classroom, with baby dolls being there for practicing said skills, and math and literacy manipulatives to “give them the gamut of the experience of preschool,” Shepherd said.
The interior of the bus consists of several learning centers for kids to develop skills, both academic and otherwise, including, but not limited to, fine motor skills and literacy skills, through several parts of the bus encouraging growth. Such skills are developed throughout the school year in preschool, as part of preparing students for kindergarten. “We know that early intervention is very important to the success of a child,” Shepherd explained.
“It’s been a labor of love, where we’ve come together, the preschool teachers, to help pick out the things that they thought would be very influential and purposeful for children to experience preschool if they never have before, on an early learning bus,” Shepherd said.
Shepherd explained that they had picked out the floor and wall coloring, with lights being set up throughout, along with the bus being decorated with a red, white and blue paint job on the exterior, being filled with furniture typical of that of a preschool classroom.
“We do a screen every year for all kindergartners, and that helps us determine how ready they are for kindergarten, and our data shows that any child that is able to attend a preschool, they show significant progress towards being ready for kindergarten versus those that have not experienced preschool proper to going to kindergarten,” Shepherd explained. “We know that early intervention is very important to the success of a child.”
Shepherd expressed that standards for kindergarten are higher than when he was in school, with preschool helping to work on the skills of students, not just academic skills like math and literacy, but also social skills, independence skills, physical and fine motor skills.
“We just finished up a planning meeting together, where our next unit is going to be over clothes, and how we can help them with zipping up a jacket, or tying their shoes, or buckling a belt, things like that,” Shepherd added.
Shepherd said that, with the bus being an exhibition of preschool, it can allow parents and their children to experience and inquire about preschool.
“If they have any thoughts about preschool, we’d love to talk to them, and if you’re still wondering what it’s all about, that’s what this bus is for,” Shepherd explained. “To find those children and involve them in our preschool so that we can set them up for success in their later years.”
One of the people to help with the grant was Alicia Reeves, who worked with the Kentucky Department of Education Office of Special Education and Early Learning, having since retired, who shared that the project was one of the last projects supplied with COVID relief funds.
“It was a competitive grant process, so each district that received the grant had to apply, and they had to agree to contribute the bus,” Reeves explained. “They had an application process they went through, and then we had a team score those grants, and then award the grants from there.”
The interior includes a dramatic play area, an art center, with puzzles and books, along with an awning on the side for warmer weather, and a slide out the back of the bus, with the goal of giving the “whole gamut” of the preschool experience.
It was shared that the bus would visit rural parts of the community, with plans to have the bus become a staple at the First Friday events, once weather warmed up.
“I believe in early childhood, and I think in Kentucky, we are blessed with one of the best preschool systems for our public schools, who are able to offer free preschool to children, with income needs, with disabilities, and to be able to expand that into the rural parts of our community, to encourage families to get to know our preschool staff, and our schools early is a great thing,” Reeves expressed. “It’s going to be a great thing for kids, and I’m especially happy to see it here in Allen County so that you can reach your rural families here.”
Reeves added that it was great to work with staff at the school, and she is excited to see the bus rolling out.
“It means that our school system is invested in our children here, and that speaks a long way,” Shepherd expressed. “I know that a lot of people in our community went to Allen County Primary Center, and went into this same building, however, things have changed. We have very vibrant classrooms here, very vibrant teachers, and the way kids learn now is exciting and engaging, and we always look for opportunities to wow.”
Shepherd added that those engaging and exciting learning opportunities have been things like fashion shows, donation drives, along with visits to the animal shelters and special guest readers.
“We want to give them an authentic learning experience that they’ll never forget, and hopefully, the things that our community sees are an investment of our school district too, and empowering an elevated experience here at Allen County Primary Center,” Shepherd said.
With the bus acting as an exhibition of preschool, Shepherd shared that the project had been a labor of love for everyone involved, each being passionate about early learning.
