St. John’s starts new program for 2-year-olds

St. John’s Catholic School has started a program for 2-year-olds for the 2020-21 school year which they hope will benefit families in the community.

“We are very excited to be adding a 2-year-old program to our school, which enables children to grow up in a nurturing and loving environment. It keeps them with the same children all the way up through middle school, building lasting relationships in faith,” Janet Edgar, principal of St. John’s, located at 583 W. Grand Ave., said.

“This is something we have wanted to do for a long time because we feel like we can better serve the parishioners, the Catholic churches and the general population with a 2-yearold class,” Marianne Layne, St. John’s advancement director, said.

Layne said parents asked for a 2-year-old program because several of the families have younger children and wanted to bring them to St. John’s instead of somewhere else.

“It’s something that has evolved over the last several years, but it’s basically been a long term plan for a while. It was just getting to the point where we felt like we were able to expand that portion and have someone in place that could teach the class,” she said.

Layne said one of the biggest challenges the school faced was having a playground for the students.

Children that age “really cannot share a playground with older children. Their items are smaller, and they need a separate area,” she said.

The school was fortunate because the parents came together and built a playground and fenced it, Layne said, noting there were individuals who donated items for the playground while the school bought some other items.

“So, that was probably one of the hardest things that we had to do. We also had to have hot water available in a 2-year-old classroom, and we had to add that because normally we had cold water there for the little ones,” she said.

Layne said the whole family will benefit from the program because the parents know they have their students at a place where they are loved and “cared for dearly” by the community at St. John’s school.

“For a lot of them that start their children at 2 going into preschool, they can keep them at the same place. In other words, they don’t have to take them one place when they are 2 and then bring them back over here when they are 3,” she said.

“We are able to give them the love and the start that they need,” Layne said.

She said the 2- year- olds learn days of the weeks, the weather, how to hold a pencil, and similar skills.

The socialization process is “a wonderful experience” for the children, Layne said.

The school benefits because they get to have the 2-year-olds and the school officials love watching them, she said.

“We love having children, and these children are precious in God’s sight. … We believe that children need to start young learning skills,” Layne said.

“In the Christian aspect, they start learning prayers, and other things that help them see the world as God’s creation,” she said.

Layne said there are not really any requirements for the program. St. John’s is open to anyone. The school has 30- to 40% non- Catholics at the school, she said, noting it is not just for Catholics.

“We encourage anybody in the community who would like to take a look at our school, our 2- or 3-year- old programs, to give us a call and come up here and take a tour. We believe we offer an excellent education for all ages and a loving safe environment,” she said.