Future Educators Take the Lead in Park Center's Playschool program

Each spring, the child development lab at Park Center Senior High School (PCSH) transforms into a vibrant, joyful space of shared learning and growth thanks to instructor Joanne Bauerly and her early childhood education students. Through the Playschool program, high school students gain hands-on experience in early childhood education by leading a morning preschool class two days a week for eight weeks.

With Bauerly’s guidance, students in the course alternate between being the lead teacher and an active observer. Whether running circle time, reading stories aloud, organizing snack time or facilitating free play, high school students are deeply immersed in what it means to be an educator—practicing communication, classroom management and responsive planning in real time. In this setting, students take on the unique role of being both teachers and learners to apply what they’ve studied while gaining new insight from interactions with the preschoolers and each other.
Bauerly shared that she looks forward to this experience every year, noting that these young teachers bring fresh perspectives, creativity, and a deep commitment to the children they’re working with. She also emphasized that even as an experienced teacher, she continues to learn from them and their approaches.

The success of the program also depends on the families who enroll their preschoolers and contribute to this shared learning experience. 

“It’s a beautiful thing—education going two ways,” said one parent. “The preschoolers get to learn with and from a diverse group of high school students, and at the same time, the high schoolers grow by engaging directly with young learners. Everyone walks away changed for the better and having learned from the experience.”

The Playschool experience provides students with an authentic, applied opportunity to explore careers in education while still in high school. It is a capstone of PCSH’s education path, one of several career-focused pathways being strengthened through the district’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) programming.

The program culminates in a joyful graduation celebration for the preschoolers, with families in attendance. The event offers a special moment for the high school students to recognize and reflect on the progress they’ve made alongside their young learners as they celebrate eight weeks of shared discovery, growth, and relationship-building.