The Dolores School District will add infants and toddlers to its student body beginning next school year.
The preschool was awarded $25,000 in grants from the Buell Foundation and the Colorado Department of Education to start the new program serving kids ages 6 weeks to 3 years old.
A two-room modular building will be moved to a lot and concrete pad next door to the district’s Teddy Bear preschool on Hillside Drive.
“A large, local day care is closing down, and there is a real need for this service for families and our teachers with young children,” said Valiena Rosenkrance, Teddy Bear pre-school director for the Dolores school district.
Sixteen slots are available, and the roster is filling up fast, she said. The tuition-based school is expected to be about $38 per day.
“We’re very excited and proud to start this program,” Rosenkrance said. “Our trained staff will focus on autonomy, cognition and socialization skills to get them ready for preschool.”
The new school will create four new teaching jobs, with two teachers per eight children.
Current Teddy Bear pre-school teachers Nori Begay and Cristy Gomez will take over teaching positions at the infant-toddler school. Two assistant teachers with early childhood development training will also be hired for the new school. The transition creates two teaching vacancies at the pre-school, which will be filled.
The infant-toddler school is expected to be open Monday through Thursday and will follow the school calendar.
Superintended Scott Cooper said the drop in enrollment of 50 students this year allowed the school to consolidate students inside the main building, freeing up a modular classroom for the new toddler school.
“To have this become a reality this quickly is impressive and a testament to the hard work of our Teddy Bear School staff and the community,” he said.
The start-up grant helped cover school materials, cribs, construction, moving and placing the modular, and utility hookups.
Officials said the in-kind services offered by community businesses helped make the new school a reality, including by Cortez Electric, Corky’s Plumbing, Top Designs, and Rosendahl Engineering.
For more information contact the Teddy Bear pre-school at (970) 882-2159.
jmimiaga@the-journal.com
