Handprints Show Bonds Made In Massapequa Preschool Program

MASSAPEQUA, NY — Massapequa High School students interested in careers that work with children, such as education, nursing and speech therapy, gain valuable experience by running a preschool every year. The youngsters look up to the high school role models, and recently worked on a project that will help them remember their buddies for a long time.

The preschool program, offered to local families, meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the high school, with a morning and afternoon session, each running for about an hour-and-a-half. Students from two courses, Parenting and Child Development and college-level Children and Families, plan and implement the lessons and activities under the direction of teacher Anna Fierro-Gregg.

On Jan. 19, the preschool students and their high school buddies made memory cards. They each put their handprints on a piece of construction paper as a memento for the young children.

“They get to create a memory with their buddy and carry it with them for their rest of their lives if they want to keep it,” said senior Lilly Cianciotta, who is enrolled in the college-level course.

Cianciotta, an aspiring elementary school, said she enjoys creating bonds with the preschool students and watching them learn.