Gorham has always been a town that values education and there have always been high quality preschool options for parents of four-year-old learners. This year, due to a State of Maine grant, the educational priorities set by the Gorham School Committee, and the vision of Superintendent Heather Perry and the Littlest Rams Committee, there is a new public school program for four year old “Little Rams.”

The new Pre-K program is housed at Narragansett School. It is a professionally staffed and well equipped set of classrooms that are abuzz with the sounds and sights of curious and excited four year olds enthusiastically learning through exploration, play and friendship building.

The program is staffed by two preschool teachers, Leela Pollard and Lindsay Veilleux; two educational technicians, Meghan Duquette and Marissa Young; Special Educator, Susan Hodgson; Speech Therapist, Rita Schlegel; and Occupational Therapist, Chelsea Osgood. This team works together to provide a student centered, play based, and educationally rich experience for fifty-nine four-year-olds.

The rooms are alive with active learning and discovery. Erin Eppler, the Principal of Narragansett, has welcomed the program to the school this year and is excited by her observations. She described the learning process this way, “Teachers provide materials and vocabulary for an exploration and students take off. To have four-year-olds explaining to each other that magnets attract and repel each other, is a wonderful learning experience to observe.”

Teacher, Leela Pollard, comes to Gorham with sixteen years of public preschool experience. This is her third opportunity to help initiate a public preschool program and she welcomed the opportunity to join this educational team. She describes the advantages of this program saying, “This is a team that works together. Learning specialists and therapists know all of the students and if there is a question about motor skills or language, it can usually be answered that day rather than having a delay until the specialist is available. Services happen quickly within the classroom and are reinforced by other adults in the program.”

Teacher Lindsay Veilleux has over ten years experience in private schools and preschools. She sees “a wide range of success for students socially and academically. For some students this program is the first time they can access needed supports on a regular basis. Students are making huge gains.” Both classroom teachers were enthusiastic and excited about the program.

Mrs. Eppler explained that because this was the first year of the program, it was not filled to capacity. They have fifty-nine students assigned to four half-day classes, with a maximum allowed population of sixty-four. The school is able to provide services for learners with and without special needs. They also have partnerships with two private preschool programs, Gorham Arts Alliance and Seedlings to Sunflowers, so students in those programs are able to access needed services through the specialist in the Gorham classes.

This is an exciting new program for the Gorham School District and a wonderful service to the community. Four-year-olds are getting needed support services, building relationships with other four year olds, learning about how school works, riding the bus, and exploring learning materials and activities. Entering one of the classrooms, the students were excited that there was a visitor but very quickly returned to listening to the story that was being read to them. The students appear to be eager to learn new things and this experienced and well-qualified professional staff has the skills and talents to keep them engaged.

Parents with a child who will be four next year may want to investigate this public school option for their child. There are still a few remaining openings for this year and interested families can call the Narragansett office at (207) 222-1250. Enrollment information for the 24-25 school year will be shared widely with the public in January.