Preschool in High School?
I received this info from ExchangeEveryDay: The Sun Sentinel (January 9, 2011) recently reported on preschools operated in high schools in Palm Beach County, Florida.
“While preschool at high school may sound unusual, the concept has taken off across the Palm Beach County School District. This year, 12 of the 23 traditional high schools have some form of a program that prepares students for careers in child-related occupations. Nearly 2,100 9th through 12th-graders are enrolled in these classes, according to the district.
“Through these teaching models, high school students can earn an Early Childhood Professional Certificate, from the Florida Department of Education, by the time they graduate. That requires 120 hours of classroom instruction, 480 hours of direct work with young children, and passing exams from the state Department of Children & Families.
“‘They can be a lead teacher at a preschool right out of high school,’ said Tracey Kouf, Santaluces High School teacher academy instructor, adding that many graduates go on to work in preschools while pursuing higher education.
“Educators think a greater emphasis on these academies will lead to more college graduates entering the teaching profession, as well as providing qualified workers for local day-care centers that may deal with high turnover and regular vacancies.”
What do YOU think about this? I’d love to hear your thoughts 
March 23rd, 2011 at 8:11 am
Even if they don’t go into the early childhood profession, it is good to teach parenting skills. Maybe it should be a mandatory class on parenting.
March 23rd, 2011 at 3:30 pm
Sue-
I’ll go one step further and say that perhaps we should take courses and receive a parenting license! We need a marriage license to get married, drivers license to drive a vehicle, but nothing to have a child….hmmm.
March 24th, 2011 at 12:03 am
I like the idea of having a preschool in a high school. I went to Burnsvill highschool class of 1994 and we had a class where you learned about working with preschooler and how to teach them. then we had a three month period where kids would come to the high school and we would have a real preschool time with the kids.
I don’t like the idea of 12th graders being able to be lead/head teachers right after high school or during highschool, I understand the thinking of motivation to get them into going to college and to have jobs.