By WHITNEY A. SMITH
While walking along the stretch of sidewalk between the JKHB and the SWKT, you may be surprised to hear the sounds of squeaking swings, teetering see-saws and the delightful tones of little people at play.
These voices, reaching from beyond the wall surrounding the east side of the SFLC, are some of BYU's tiniest academicians who have been learning here in a program that is almost fifty years young.
Established in 1950, the BYU preschool program, an extension of the BYU College of Family, Home and Social Sciences, has been growing and has become one of the leading university preschool programs in the state.
According to Dr. Jean Larsen, the faculty member who supervises the program, the preschool started with rather humble roots.
'The program first began in 1950. It was in a single classroom in the Smith Fieldhouse,' Larsen said. 'Now we have an entire facility with large classrooms, a playground, labs and observation areas in the SFLC.'
Since those first days, the school has become somewhat of a tradition for many families in the Provo/Orem area.
'We have great-grandchildren of former students who are now attending classes,' said Sharon Lay, the head administrator for the BYU Preschool.
Centering the preschool's curriculum on the foundation of building self-esteem and positive, strong social skills, the preschool offers courses to children ages 3 1/2 to 6 that strive to help them become more self-sufficient and ready for the world.
'We have found that social skills are directly related to academic success,' Lay said. 'If we can encourage self-esteem, creativity and problem solving early on, then the children are infinitely more prepared to learn things in an academic sense later.'
Working to build that foundation on a daily basis are the preschool's head teachers, Bette Gibson and Genan Anderson, who say their goal is to teach the children to become master players.
'We are not trying to turn them into academic wizards, rather we prefer to have every type of thing available for them to play with so that they can increase their understanding of realities in their world,' Anderson said.
'We don't look at the concept of play in a typical fashion,' Gibson said. 'Instead, we encourage play and imagination which teach the children how to make moral and ethical decisions.'
Anderson continued by saying that when the children interact and have to choose roles during playtime (like which character they will take on in a game of house), they learn how to work in a group and how to be individually empowered.
In addition to Anderson and Gibson, the BYU Preschool enjoys the participation of several student teachers each semester who are in the classroom gaining practical experience for their own careers while teaching and interacting with the preschoolers at the same time.
'Often times we have a 1 - 5 ratio of teachers to students,' Anderson said. 'This affords the preschoolers a great deal of one-on-one time with adults.'
The time spent individually with the children also allows the instructors to customize their program so that each child can have their needs met.
'We believe that the program should fit the child,' Gibson said. 'The child should not have to fit into the program.'
Anderson noted the children are often asked to create the agenda for the semester by telling their teachers exactly what they are interested in learning.
'If they want to talk about worms, we will do it,' Anderson said. 'It makes them part of a choice and then they can follow through with the choice by engaging in creative learning.'
Anderson and Gibson both feel that the success of the preschool is also attributable to the parents who send their children into the program.
'We have very involved parents,' Anderson said. 'Because we do not advertise, parents who enroll their children here have sought us out. That says a great deal about their interest in their child's education.'
Mary Slover, a Provo resident who has sent both of her sons through the BYU program, said she can tell that a lot of planning goes into each day.
'Each day is so well organized, and the environment is beautiful and really enriched,' Slover said.
Slover also said that she appreciates how in-depth the learning is.
'My son loved the unit where he studied ponds,' Slover said. 'They visited a pond, drew ponds and created their own ... The learning is from every angle.'
But the world within the SFLC and the occasional field trips are not the only exploring these tiny learners experience.
'We take them all over campus,' Gibson said. 'The preschoolers should be considered an important part of the university ... they are learning here too.'