NEWS AND VIEWS: St. John's Preschool: it's more than just daycare (04/29/01)

NEWS AND VIEWS

St. John's Preschool: it's more than just daycare

by Lillianna Chudolij

It's registration time again and I truly hope readers in the Northern New Jersey area will seriously consider St. John's Preschool in Newark as the perfect place to send their children. It is located at 715 Sanford Ave. on a large piece of property right next door to the parish rectory. Its playground is just fantastic - full of fun and grass. Not only is it less expensive (you won't believe it) than most other American and Ukrainian-style all-day preschools, the after-school program runs until 5:30 p.m. every evening and is included in the cost of tuition. Registration is only $5.

The school is unique, giving your child an experience found nowhere else in the United States - at least not that I have found.

St. John's Preschool uses the Montessori teaching method. Olenka Makarushka-Kolodiy is a skillful and awarded educator. Each child is taught in a very direct, one-to-one method that broadens both the mind and the imagination. There are usually two other assistants on hand every day. The classes are generally small - roughly 12 pupils.

Still not convinced? The children are all taught in Ukrainian - all day long! They learn the English system of alphas, too, as a bonus to get them really ready for kindergarten.

Now, at this point you might be a little skeptical and apprehensive. You might be thinking that this way of learning might be too confusing for a child. You may fear that your child could fall behind in a later grade. Don't fall into this trap. It is a proven fact that a bilingual child has a higher comprehension level. Plus, if your child is already learning Ukrainian at home at such a tender age, why have it stop at preschool? Why not fortify this language given the opportunity? Why not have Ukrainian really become the child's mother tongue? English will (and is) so very easy for them to learn that you needn't worry. The influences around your child alone will naturally draw him or her in that direction.

Who am I to have such strong opinions? A grateful mother.

My child was losing all the precious foundations that my husband and I had painstakingly laid for him. With no other family members available to be his daytime caregivers, we had him enrolled in American daycare. In no time it seemed he never even knew Ukrainian. It was so sad and frustrating for all of us. Going to Plast and SUM and Ukrainian school wasn't fun anymore - at age 4 that's a really big problem. How are you supposed to instill pride and knowledge of your traditions, culture, history, etc. in a kid who is starting to hate the whole thing?

St. John's Preschool wasn't just an answer for us - it was salvation. Petrus was so well taught and cared for that Ukrainian became fun to learn and a natural language in which to converse. He came home with stories, songs, drawings and friends that left us with a heart-warming feeling of success and accomplishment, for his sake not just ours.

Sure, it wasn't easy to get used to driving from Clifton to Newark to the Meadowlands where I work and then back again in the evening, but it did become a routine and in the end was time well- invested. The dividends we three collected from this yearlong (1999-2000) outing were valuable beyond any worldly riches. Other families who do have extra help from relatives have decided to send their children here because they, too, see, hear and experience the magical value of this one-of-a-kind program.

In just a few months, our son will be graduating from kindergarten - a milestone for every child. He speaks English perfectly. I am told that he is always the first one to complete his classroom work, which is nearly always correct. His comprehension level has only increased along with his tolerance of new and challenging schoolwork. I am proud to state that he still speaks Ukrainian as his natural language both to his friends and us. His Ukrainian has maintained a level that allowed him to move right into first grade rather than stay in sadochok (kindergarten) in the School of Ukrainian Studies.

I cannot urge you all enough to enroll your child/children into this preschool. Everyone's schedule is crazy these days, but this school is so accommodating that it's almost a crime not to take advantage of it. If you have already registered at another school, there is much more at stake here than an already spent $50 fee someplace else.

Make such a difference in a young person's life as well as your own by choosing St. John's Preschool. We as parents make so many choices and sacrifices for our children, this certainly should be one of those. If we don't help teach and promote our own heritage, how can we then expect our children to carry on?

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