Little Hand, Big Future: Jenks Little Trojan Academy
Photo Credits: Jenks Community Education
By: Olivia Cannon
In the back corner of the Jenks High School campus while you're walking to your car you may see little kids running through mini playgrounds, pigtails and little floral dresses flapping in the wind behind them, a group of little kids pushing plastic toy construction trucks, and a couple of kids standing along the fence, their small hands gripping the bars like its a prison, as they watch you walk by. As you walk toward the front of the building you will see more mini fenced-off playgrounds with water tables and, and slides. But what is this little school building full of young children on a high school campus, and what are they doing in there?
The little building is called the Early Childhood Center (ECC), or the Little Trojan Academy. The ECC is a second home for kids between the ages of 6 months old and four.
“People think we're babysitters,” said Amber Light, who teaches three and four-year-olds at the ECC, “and we are but, we teach the kids, and we care for them as much as their parents do and we want them to learn and succeed when they go on to when they go on to kindergarten.”
It's very obvious how much the teachers and staff at the ECC cares for the children., The teachers are always smiling and happy to engage with the kids, yet still remain vigilant, and are constantly observing to make sure everyone is safe and having a good time, and they do a great job of creating a positive learning environment to prepare them for kindergarten and life.
Photo Credits: Jenksps on Instagram
“I love dramatic play, this week we're doing community helpers like firefighters, so for dramatic play, I come in first thing Monday morning to switch it out this area,” said Light talking about a corner of the room that has dress-up items hanging in mini play cubbies, “I've got veterinarians in there I've got mail men I've got policemen, firefighters, and construction workers, but last week there was an auto body shop so it had nuts and bolts and we had a car turned upside down and a couple of weeks before that it was a flower shop,”
Light's dramatic play is a great way to give the kids in the Little Trojan Academy a chance to learn about real-world jobs in a hands-on playful way. The ECC is also preparing the kids for school and has many different creative ways to teach kids so young how to do stuff that will be required of them in a classroom.
“We start by teaching fine motor skills, before you ever want to start teaching something like writing, or holding pencils you have to start with fine motor skills,” Light says talking about her three and four-year-old class. “ I start implementing things like hole punching and tracing zig zag lines before I ever begin to have them start to write their name”
Light thinks it's very important it is for kids to learn the basic stuff to be fully prepared to move on to pre-K next year.
“There are so many friends in the district that don't come into a center like this so when they go to pre-k and kindergarten it may be the first time they've ever been in school so when we have our kids ready they can be the leaders in the class and they can show their friends cuz they're already adjusted to what it's like to go to school,” said Light.
One of the main ways the ECC teaches their kids to be leaders is by using conscious discipline.
“Our curriculum follows conscious discipline which teaches them how to stand up for themselves how to be curious how to constantly be learning, and that gore a lot into the portrait of a graduate that the rest of the school uses we want them to have those same skills when they leave our center,” Said Sarah Rowland the site coordinator at the ECC. “We want them to be lifelong learners, we want them to be able to speak up for themselves and have good self-esteem and confidence.”
The Early Childhood Center at Jenks High School is more than just a daycare; it’s a nurturing environment where children are taught essential skills that prepare them for future academic success and life beyond the classroom. Through creative activities like dramatic play and fine motor skill exercises, teachers like Amber Light are equipping these young students with the tools they need to excel in pre-K and kindergarten. The ECC’s commitment to fostering curiosity, leadership, and self-confidence sets a strong foundation for the children’s lifelong learning journey.
#jhstrojantorch
