Smart Start Sh/PP-CS 981204Smart Start
Early Childhood Education Center~
Every child is a unique person with their own interests, learning style,
~ growth timetable, and culture. When given the time, space, and
opportunity to interact in a meaningful environment, a child can construct
new ideas and link them to existing knowledge.
Dee and JC Jammal, 854 Pelican Lane, Coppelll
phone 972.393.5966; email djammal@ib
After two years of careful planning and research, we are pleased
quality preschool in north Coppell. Smart Start Early Childhood
of-the-art facility, and will be located on Natches Trace Drive acr~
Middle School.
Smart Start will be owned and operated by us, JC and Dee Jammal. We are Coppell residents who
are interested in improving the quality of early childhood education in our community. Our goal is
to provide preschool age children with a safe, nurturing, and educational environment. We plan to
accomplish this goal by providing consistent leadership, maintaining a professional teaching staff, in-
corporating developmentally appropriate early childhood practices, and developing strong family
and community partnerships.
Our Director
Dee will be the director of the preschool. She holds a BA in Elementary Education from the Uni-
versity of North Carolina and is certified by the State of Texas in Elementary and Early Childhood
Education. Dee has served as a preschool and Kindergarten teacher across the US. She was most
recently the Kindergarten team leader at Town Center Elementary in Coppeli. Through her teach-
ing experience in Coppell, which includes co-authoring of the district's Kindergarten curriculum,
Dee has an insight to the specific needs and requirements children will need upon entering Kinder-
garten. She has had experience as a conference speaker and instructor of early childhood practices.
She is also the author of Makin_~ the Grade, a book on asssessment, and More Cascarones, Pot Fa-
vor, a children's book.
The Staff
Smart Start is committed to maintaining a professional teaching staff with early childhood creden-
tials. Our plans to maintain a professional staff combine a thorough and extensive interview process
with recognition, competitive pay (including performance-based bonuses), and benefits. Each staff
member will continually receive focused training with educational goals determined by the teachers
themselves. Smart Start will provide each teacher with ample supplies to implement their plans.
Child-Centered Curriculum and Assessment
At the core of Smart Start's program is the "Emergent Curriculum." This curriculum begins by haw
ing the teacher learn the children's interests and prior knowledge. The ~eacher then develops an
environment which enables the children to explore what they want to find out while developing
skills and knowledge.
Teachers observe and question children. Based on the children's responses, teachers introduce ma-
terials and opportunities that provoke children's creative thinking and problem solving. Academic
skills are integrated and useful to the continuance of these meaningful activities. This approach en-
ables children to internalize, build upon, and remember skills learned. In addition, this unhurried
learning environment allows children the time to develop ideas at higher levels of thinking.
In order to implement this approach, teachers have a written curriculum guide of the progressions
and stages of children's development. These stages are written in the Smart Start Early Childhood
Curriculum under each development category: Personal, Social, and Character; Physical; Math; Sci-
ence; Expressive, Receptive and Representative; and Higher Level Thinking. The curriculum guides
teachers in assessing each child and enables the teacher to make educated decisions on how to sup-
port each child's development and learning.
Teachers will formally assess students through Authentic Assessment. This assessment is a continu-
ous evaluation of student skills, knowledge, behavior and achievements within the context of the
classroom. Each child will have a portfolio which will include documentation such as anecdotal notes,
developmental checklists, and children's work. The purpose of this collection is to see progress, set
goals, and facilitate the child's ability to direct and analyze their own thinking and learning behaviors.
These portfolios will be sent to the child's Kindergarten teacher upon exiting the school.
Understanding that many of our children will be entering the Coppell lSD, we have surveyed Kinder-
garten teachers and the Coppell Administration about their expectations, and experiences they would
like to see us implement at our school. We value their expertise and will continue to keep abreast of
their curriculum or policy changes.
State-of-the-Art Facility
The Smart Start facility is considered to be "our third teacher." We believe the design of the facility,
and the environment that the staff creates within it, are crucial to the development of each child. The
building consists of seven classrooms, a multipurpose room, an educational kitchen, a well stocked
teacher workroom, a children's resource room, a children's museum in the foyer, a "Boo Boo" room,
and one administration office. Child-centered features of the building inc!ude age appropriate sinks,
mirrors, furniture, and water fountains in each classroom. Each class will also have direct access to
its own covered patio, small refrigerator, and video camera monitors. The outdoor area will include
specially designed Kompan climbing equipment, including a slide and surrounded by a tricycle track.
Extended areas include a playhouse, a sand and water area, a mud area, painting easels, spring toys,
tunnels, a balance beam, a child-sized basketball court, gardens, and hilly grass areas. The outdoor
area will also have direct access to a bathroom, a storage area and a covered patio area.
Our Families and Community
We believe that families are the foundation of nurturing a child's development. Schools are not just
for children. They are for families. We are committed to partnering with our parents and community.
They are a vital resource to our center. Parents will have many opportunities to become involved in
the education of their child. We have developed a parent library, home visits, and volunteering
programs.
As you can see, we are optimistic that we can make a difference in educating our community's young
children. We hope that this letter has helped you understand our goals, and we appreciate you taking
the time to read it. Our current schedule will allow us to open in the Summer of 1999. Please feel
free to contact us if you have any questions.
Sincerely,