Child Care Field Trip Provides First-Hand Experience

"The Growing Tree" will begin in October. For now students continue to prepare for the children. Photo by: Abigail Bentz

“The Growing Tree” will begin in October. For now students continue to prepare for the children. Photo by: Abigail Bentz

By Abigail Bentz, Editors-in-Chief
September 23, 2014

The child care classes took a field trip to a day care of their choice to experience the environment of a preschool on Thursday, September 10.

This marks teacher Martha Sandusky’s first year as the high school child care teacher. During her previous years at Susquehannock, Sandusky taught family consumer sciences like cooking and sewing; however, this year she has also taken on the child care classes. As an introduction to the course, students ventured on a field trip to observe a preschool in action.

Students learn and prepare for the "The Growing Tree" in the observation room. Photo by: Abigail Bentz
Students learn and prepare for the The Growing Tree  in the observation room. Photo by: Abigail Bentz

Sandusky explained how the trip was entirely student organized.

“They picked a child care in the area wherever they wanted to go,” said Sandusky. “They chose, they called, and they made the arrangements.”

The groups, made up of two or three students each, chose a variety of day cares in the area. Some traveled to York or Hanover, while others stayed a bit closer.

“They went to places like Saint John the Baptist, Christ Lutheran, YWCA in Hanover, Good Shepherd, We Care Best Christian Academy…,” said Sandusky.

With a full day of observing, the students were able to see a typical day in a preschool. Junior Tara Weaver traveled to the Shrewsbury Christian Academy for her trip.

“They [the kids] started out coloring a bear as a warm up, and they learned a letter of the week,” said Weaver. “Then they had circle time where they learned the weather for the day and the months, days and season.”

The opportunity the students received will benefit them when they open “The Growing Tree,”the student led day care at Susquehannock. The trip intended to give the child care students ideas that they will apply in their own day care.

"The Growing Tree" is the high school's student led child care program. Photo by: Abigail Bentz
“The Growing Tree” is the high school’s student run  child care program. Photo by: Abigail Bentz

Senior Ellie Holloway worked with senior Laura Savin for this field trip. They traveled to KinderCare Child Center in York and observed the same sort of activities as Weaver.

“[We observed] circle time, recess, lunch, and they napped,” said Holloway.

Observing activities as well as how the caretakers built relationships with the children provided a great opportunity.

Weaver found it amazing to not only observe the caretakers, but also the kids themselves.

"The Growing Tree" will begin in October. For now students continue to prepare for the children. Photo by: Abigail Bentz
The Growing Tree will open in October. For now, students continue to prepare for the children. Photo by: Abigail Bentz

“[The highlight was] seeing how well they listened, how much they wanted to learn and how much they obtained just in one day,” said Weaver.

The trip helped students feel more prepared for “The Growing Tree” to open this October.