Tecumseh Schools offer ‘great programs’ for preschoolers

To the Editor,

During this tough economy there is constant talk of programs that have been, or are about to be cut.  So, we want to bring to the attention of our community a couple of great programs that are out there for preschoolers.  These programs are important because they focus on the first five years of a child’s life, which are critical to their future.

First:  Lenawee’s Child. This is a free program for preschoolers that is hosted by Kim Scheerer, affectionately known as Miss Kim.  She runs weekly playgroups at the Board of Education Building (212 North Ottawa Street, Tecumseh).  She does an amazing job of keeping parents informed of children’s activities.  She sends out weekly emails with schedules and updates.  You can get on her mailing list by signing up at playgroup or emailing her at kscheerer@tps.k12.mi.us.

Second:  Tecumseh Public Schools Pre-School Program. This is a tuition based program that is worth every penny.  To fully appreciate just how wonderful this program is we would like to tell you our story.  We have a three-year- old son who was behind in his speech and not well socialized.  We were trying our hardest to help him but nothing seemed to work.  We even went to an expensive speech therapist whose benefit was, well, marginal to say the least.  After hearing good things about the TPS Pre-School Program, we signed him up.  The change in him has been dramatic.  He loves it and we’ve noticed some real benefits:

• He’s more interested in learning
• He’s better behaved – he shares, is more respectful of others, and thinks about his actions
• His speech has improved greatly
• He’s learning to count and is anxious to learn to read
• He’s become more self-sufficient and wants to do everything for himself
We would like to emphasize that we’re good parents.  We read to him every night and spend lots of quality time with him but, he was not developing as well as he might.  Since going to preschool he’s really come along.  We feel that if it wasn’t for this program, our son would likely have required more trips to the speech therapist and undoubtedly would have experienced developmental delays in kindergarten and elementary school.  So, even though we have to pay out-of-pocket for his tuition, we feel like we’re saving time and money in the long run.
Here are some interesting statistics:
• Children are streamlined for school – student alumni (currently K through 2) are testing well ahead of other students in language skills and reading
• It saves taxpayer dollars – the program saves TPS an estimated $1.5 million dollars a year, through early intervention and reduced need for special education later
• It’s self-sustaining – the program does not use any public funds
• It’s low cost – similar programs in other areas cost much more
• The benefits to your child are real and readily apparent
Tecumseh is the only school district in southeast Michigan to offer this type of a comprehensive program. Registration is going on right now.  Checkout their website at:  http://www.tps.k12.mi.us/web/ps.html.

Robert Stross
and Ann Wann
Tecumseh