In November of 2021, Franklin West Supervisory Union Preschool Teams were notified by Diana Langston, the Act 166 coordinator, of the opportunity to apply for a grant awarded by the Vermont Department of Children and Families and the Federal Government. The grant was designed to help support child care providers and the social and emotional needs of the children in their care brought on by the effects of Covid-19. We were fortunate enough to be awarded this grant in late November.
The BFA Fairfax Early Elementary team was excited to learn we were approved for the above-mentioned grant and immediately began to plan how we could use the funds. After speaking with members of the Early Education team at Georgia Elementary School, we learned that we could use a portion of the funds to purchase materials for the classrooms that would help support the social and emotional needs of students and staff.
The majority of the funds will go to supporting the social and emotional needs of our students both in and out of the classroom. One option for doing so is to make improvements to the playground. There are several ideas that are being discussed, including expanding opportunities for students to develop their gross motor skills. In the classroom, we are exploring ways for students to expand on their needs for sensory exploration. As always, the team is open to input from the community on ways to improve our program. Please feel free to reach out to Ms. Caryn, Mrs. Foreman, or Mr. Walsh to share your thoughts!
Thomas Walsh is the Principal of BFA Fairfax Elementary School and is a regular contributor to THE FWSU STORY.
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