Whitehall pre-K prepares students for kindergarten

JACKSON, Tenn. — One local school is helping young learners get ready for kindergarten.

“Make [the students] kindergarten ready and just teaching those early foundational skills that are so important to that early start for school,” Whitehall Pre-K Principal Tisa Day said.

Whitehall Pre-K at Nova is just for 3- and 4-year-olds.

Audrey Carroll teaches at Whitehall and says they are laying the foundation for the students to be successful.

“There are rigorous standards we are meeting, like character setting and events,” Carroll said. “But we’re all encompassing that in developmentally appropriate teaching strategies.”

According to one study, the human brain develops more between birth and age five than any other time in life. That’s why Whitehall says pre-K is so important.

Teachers at Whitehall Pre-K say you might think all they do inside is learn their colors and play with blocks, but it’s so much more than that.

“I think a really huge component that we work towards is the social and emotional aspect of the child,” Carroll said.

Carroll says the students are learning to become independent thinkers and learners.

Principal Day says she hears from teachers that there is a difference between students who went to pre-K and those who didn’t.

“Our kindergarten teachers often tell us that they know if a student attended pre-K because those students come in ready to learn first day of school. They are ready and eager to learn,” Day said.

You can apply for your child to go to Whitehall through May 23.

For more information and what you’ll need to bring when you apply, visit the JMCSS website.