Welcome, everyone, to Midday Magazine for this February 23rd, 2024.
Have your host, James J. Mailoff here.
In part two today, we are going to speak with some of our favorite people.
We got Craig Boron, super intended to discuss Arabic public schools with us.
Craig, good to see you.
Hi, good to see you.
Always good to have you in studio, sir.
Thanks for being here.
You brought some friends.
We have Kelly Shafer, early childhood 4K administrator with us.
Kelly, thanks for being here again.
Thank you, James.
Appreciate the time.
And we have a new face joining us, Terry Thomas,
pitch 4K coordinator.
Terry, good to meet you.
Thank you, nice to meet you too.
Appreciate you both being here.
Craig, you being here, of course.
Let me say right out the gate, you are appreciated.
All of you are appreciated.
We appreciate what you do for our community.
Appreciate what you do for our kids.
We got your back and we thank you so dang much for everything that you do for this community.
Keep up the great work.
We got your back and we appreciate what you're doing.
I want to get into with you early childhood 4K administrator,
early childhood 4K and talk a little bit about that if you don't mind, Kelly.
So let's start right there.
What is that?
What?
No, I'm joking, but we can explain a little bit of what that is for audience out there.
No, absolutely, because it's a little different than your typical school age programming.
We have two programs that would fall under early childhood.
We have early childhood education, which is our three year olds and four year olds at times.
And then we have our 4K programming.
We're very fortunate to have 4K programming, not just at school sites,
but also at community sites.
And so we have lots of options for wrap around care, lots of locations in the community.
So it makes it easier for parents and families to connect to those services,
but also gives a balanced approach for those that may have other needs that we can provide in
multiple settings.
How do these differ from your kind of traditional classes in that age range that we kind of a lot
of us grew up with?
Absolutely.
So if you're talking about three and four year olds, first of all, stamina is not the same as
they get into elementary.
Yeah.
So they're half day programs.
We run all of our programming two hours and 35 minutes each session, a morning session,
an afternoon session.
So that provides even more options for parents, particularly as we're thinking about our different
sites and those locations we're registering next week, looking into the 24-25 school year.
And really encourage parents to get out to register because the more options
will be available the sooner you do that.
What are some of the benefits we've seen from a program like this Kelly?
Absolutely.
So particularly coming off of COVID, which I know seems a long time in the past, but yet not really.
Our students did not have the opportunities that we used to have plain.
Play is the core of our program.
All of our work is play-based and we find that they haven't had as many opportunities to go out
to the park and play or to go to the museum or even to Walmart just to learn how to interact.
So our programming really hits the core of what does it mean when we're looking at social
emotional learning for our littles?
How do they interact with each other and how do they interact with adults?
You know, this is just the way time works and life works.
As we get older, there's a lot of things we forget that we learned or did when we were little,
those early things that we learned, but one of the things that I've learned to talk
with Craig and a lot of the people that he's brought in over the time we've had a chance to talk
is how important the confidence building is in kids and how we have so many opportunities to do
that that we don't realize.
As kids, when we're young, we learn to tie our shoes.
And okay, we tied our shoelaces big deal.
But when you're a little and you learn to do that,
my god, you just want to superbowl.
Like it is one of the biggest, it is the earliest, if not the first confidence builder we get.
And then we learn how to spell our name and some of these things.
We forget about that stuff the older we get.
A program like this is such a confidence builder to me.
There's so many layers to that and you brought up, I think, a really interesting point,
an important point too of socializing and how much of that we learn.
So many of us are worried about kids.
They've got their heads and tablets and all this stuff and everything.
And I think that to be honest, I think the data is starting to show that that's a little bit over,
taking a little overboard as far as the concern about it.
But I think also that if you're concerned about it,
well, there's things like this that really do bring out the kid and kids that really do get them
out there and interacting with other kids. Have you been seeing that?
Absolutely.
And even when it comes to our programming, the kids balance.
As with anything, we want to see the interactions we want to see what that looks like.
And building parents, not just the student confidence, but parent confidence.
When it comes down to it, yes, our kids need to learn for lack of a better way of saying
how to play school. But that's really social interaction.
So how do we make that work?
And how do we empower the parents to help foster that?
That's such an incredible point.
You said that. I immediately, I'm back being 19 again.
My first child is bored and I'm freaking out because I took parenting classes.
I did everything I thought I could.
And I still, now the baby's here to be like, oh, God, I forgot everything.
Building that confidence in parents is so key too.
That's a great point to bring to this.
And I think also a noteworthy thing too when it comes to parents supporting parents
and seeing more of that in society and seeing more of doing of that.
As a program like this really can birth a lot of that.
If people want to know more about this program and more about ways to be a part of early child
care childhood, how can they find out more about that?
The best option is to call us right at Pitch Early Learning Center.
Or of course, they can call the district anytime and they would connect to the right people.
It could be as simple as picking up that phone.
It could be going to our website.
They can always contact us that way.
Or if in doubt, if you talk to anyone in the district, they'll point you in the right direction.
Yeah, this has been one of those bigger topics that we've talked about.
Not just on our shows, but in the community.
I've heard a lot of people bring it up and I heard nothing but positive things about the program.
Do you think that this a program like this will be enhanced even more going forward
with the good things that we've heard about it?
I don't know how it can be much better, but it is.
It's a pretty dang good program.
But as we do, we learn and we grow and see some things that added to it eventually.
Absolutely.
Well, in the past few years, one thing that has shifted is the creation of Pitch Early Learning Center.
Not only has that allowed us to meet the needs of some of our students,
but I think it's been great for parents.
Because we've been able to bring more of them into one location and create shared 4K events,
not just at single sites.
So there is more of that camaraderie.
Just this last week, we had a 4K night at the library.
So all 4K families were invited.
They were able to join in, not only with other 4K families, but to see the library.
What does that have to bring to the table and offer those families and other kids from around
the area too? There were lots of examples.
And I know Terry was there as well of, you know, they're out in the public.
And kids are kids and they do things that kids do.
Oh, I just saw that parent handle that situation like this or I saw this teacher step into assist.
So there's lots of ways where simple parent engagement,
doing stations at the library, can really bring a lot to the table.
And as we've touched on before, and I believe that everybody out there knows,
their brains sponges, they're taking everything in.
And it's important to keep that in mind, not only because of great programs like this and the
amount of things they can take in and learn, but also they're watching.
And they're seeing how you interact as an adult and how you interact with other adults.
And they're learning and taking notes whether you realize it or not.
And how you want your children to grow and be is pretty much how you are.
That's one of the things that's their first learning basis.
So it's important to how you handle yourself in life and society and all that.
And I think programs like this really give a light to that and something like that really show.
It shines it for you. Terry, your turn to be on the spot.
I mean talk. Thank you again for joining us, Terry, to appreciate the time.
You are the pitch 4k coordinator.
What is that involved? How is a day in the life for you?
Well, I have a lot of roles at pitch, but one of them is just to support the teachers with
some of the needs that they might have as far as goals for students or goals for themselves
as professionals. And so I go into the classrooms each day.
I work alongside the teachers or I work with the students.
I really work to build the school-wide community as well.
Just by interacting with the students and the staff every day.
And because Kelly is Mrs. Schaefer is so busy at Washington as her primary job as principal there.
I'm really just to go to a person at pitch when families need something or the staff or students need
something. Real quick shout out to Washington Wildcats. I've got to do it. I have to do it.
I can't help myself, I have to.
So Terry, when it comes to some of those questions, some of the things, are there some
consistent questions you get or some kids' concerns or anything with this?
Is it kind of everyday is a little different?
Do you mean as far as questions from the parents?
Yes, I'm sorry, yes. Well, let's do both. Let's do from parents and staff.
First, we'll start with the staff.
Yeah, well, as far as the staff goes, they have a lot of opportunities to collaborate with one
another, share data, look at goals that they have for the kids. But sometimes they try different
ideas or approaches in the classroom and they just need another set of eyes or another set of hands
to come in. And so that's where my role often comes in is just can you come into the classroom
and maybe offer more suggestions or help me try out a new strategy that I haven't tried before
and I just want to see how this works. So that's where my role comes in as far as supporting the
teachers. And then with the families, a lot of times they'll have questions maybe about their
child's development. You know, is my child right on track? And that might be for families that are
thinking of enrolling their child into 4k or even while they're in the 4k program, you know,
is my child right where they need to be? Or maybe I've got some concerns or just even social
concerns that they might have for their child. So they might approach me with questions like that.
With what you do with this in the program, are there other opportunities for other kids to
your average kid could be a part of these as well? Like any kid can be a part of these,
basically. So with that, you have a wide range of different types of kids, different types of
learning that they do. That seems to me as a layman, that seems difficult to navigate.
Is that can that be? Is that something that is one of the more challenging parts of the job?
And I'll assist both of you, Kelly, you as well. Yeah, really that's just a day in the life of.
That is, every child that walks through our door is different and the teachers are really great
about having different assessments that they use throughout the year just to see are the kids on
track as far as the goals that we have set up for them as a district and some of the essential
learning outcomes that we have to just use their measure to measure their growth and their progress
throughout the year. Kelly, same answer. I'm pretty much. The only thing I would add is we're
fortunate, particularly at pitch, to have both our 4K programming and early childhood staff
on site. So they're able to collaborate from that two different lenses, that regular education
classroom versus what does that specialize instruction look like for an individual student.
So we're able to really meet the needs of that wide range in a much more proactive way.
Craig, with the success I will say of these programs at these individual schools,
do you think that more schools will be incorporating something like this or incorporating this
particular program? Yeah, so what's early childhood is interesting in so far as that's a transition
opportunity between most of the time kids receiving services from what's called, county services
from what's called birth to three. So some individuals might be familiar with that and they receive
services in not only instruction or academics but also in occupational therapy, physical therapy
and speech therapy as well. And that transition begins from county birth to three programs when
the kid is two years and six months of age. They become transitioned over to what's considered
early childhood. And that's programming that's available in pretty much every community in the
state of Wisconsin that operates a public school district because of our statutory obligations
provide early childhood services. With that being said, what's unique about what we've got going
in rapids is that we have comprehensive early childhood services which leads to 4K because keep
in mind early childhood is technically from when you're three years, three and four year olds
generally with special needs are considered early childhood. And then you have a regular 4K as well.
And so we have the opportunity to have services in one location, early childhood pitch, early childhood
centers, Kelly mentioned, and then kids can transition naturally into 4K programming that's right at
that site as well. So not only do we have that but we also have as Kelly mentioned community
partnerships and this is not atypical but it is kind of cool that we have kind of a hybrid or
a permutation of options that just show community collaboration and a menu, a plethora of options
that people have access to. And that is somewhat atypical. So DC Everest for example and the reason
I know this is because I was just reading about it, yes I was up there for a ballgame and saw
some flyer or something that was reading. They have all community sites for their 4K and early childhood
services. And for example like Port Edwards or Nicosos smaller districts are typically going to
just operate their own 4K programs. And so it kind of depends on what the scenario looks like.
We have the capability to have an early childhood center that includes 4K. We also have 4K
community sites and we have 4K sites that are still in a couple of school buildings based on
their location. So we have so many options that people could have access to either meet their
wishes or strictly just meet the needs of their kids which is the primary focus ultimately.
With that being said what direction it goes early childhood approach is always about meeting
a kid's needs in the least restrictive environment which is what special education law
states for kids of all ages that are in special education. But clearly I think when you're talking
about a three-year-old a least restrictive environment is probably not a classroom for four hours
a day. It might be in their child care center. It might be in their home. And that
itinerant model of services is something that I think you'll see expansion into both in our
district and you'll see throughout the state because I think why don't think I know this all of
the data in its common sense. All of the data that indicates early intervention is best for
for kids. Yeah. Clearly if we can do something when they're three and it has an impact then we're
probably not going to have to do quite as much when they're 12. Yeah right. And so that's the
underlying thought processes in terms of what early childhood supposed to be all about and
providing what works best for kids. In some cases it is the kid comes to school and they just do
normal school. That's the best you know that's the least restrictive environment for them. And
anywhere in between. And I think you mentioned it what's interesting about that is it's like
holy cow how do you do that. And it comes down to having awesome and dedicated staff members.
People that recognize what child development looks like. People understanding that you know pushing
more academic rigor down to three-year-olds or four-year-olds isn't necessarily developmentally
appropriate. And lo and behold the kid will write their name whenever they write their you know
they're not going to be you know schools aren't teaching kids to read. Of course you're working.
I mean come on you know. Now it's not okay if you're not reflective and clearly kids don't have
the skills they need when they're in like fourth grade. But this idea that you know because now
you have 4k programming that all of a sudden you should be writing Shakespeare. You know by the
time you're in kindergarten is shocking. And as long as we have the mindset with the people that
we employ and the programming that we offer that we give kids what they need to be successful in
that stage of development and keep in mind development happens on a continuum. You're usually going
to be in the sweet spot right. Yeah one thing that you and I have talked about for the time that
you and I have known each other Craig on air off air is how important it is to be able to cover
topics that there tends to be some misinformation about. Not that I know that there isn't necessarily
a much talking to community about the early learning center or anything but just in general
when we're talking education and and piggybacking on what you were saying there. Again just
speaking for myself here I am embedded in this community and I I don't do my job if I'm not
talking to people in the community if I'm not doing little surveys in my head and you know
picking people's brains and finding out what's on your mind what do you care about and one of the
things that I run into from time to time is this misinformation that can get out there and this
a complete lack of not only understanding but trying to understand what it is to do the job
that you guys do. I would say if you've never done any of these jobs you probably don't know what
you're talking about I'm sorry and that's again this is just me talking nobody else here just me
speaking for myself here not Civic or WFHR or anything else and we the only way to counter that
kind of thing is with knowledge is with true information facts that kind of thing and we need
more of that so you guys coming here and taking time out of your incredibly busy days to put up with
me and my questions and to give this information to our audience it's another step in the education
process that I appreciate that you do I don't know if you should have to but I greatly appreciate
that you do the best way to counter some of these keyboard cowards out there and some of that
stuff that goes on is with facts is with true information and I don't know just pay attention to
your kids because these kids are doing great like our education system in Wood County specifically
here in Wisconsin Rapids is incredible it's very well run and it's going very smoothly there are
so many aspects of it that I am proud of and I'm proud to have graduated from this community in
this area because of a lot of these things and that's back when I'm old I'm from the late 90s
let alone now what's happened in the 2000s and everything it's been amazing and then programs like
this where this stuff necessarily wasn't available when we were kids you know there wasn't stuff like
this we've learned we say hey this would be a great idea if we can get kids to get used to going
to school at a younger age they're not going to school and okay here's economics 101 here when
your four years old didn't learn nobody's doing that if you pay attention and you actually care
about these subjects and do a little digging it doesn't take a lot to learn what is actually being
taught there and a big part of what is being taught is the structure and and the ability to do this
so that when a kid is seven or eight they're not just being thrown into this they're all the
sudden starting to learn a little bit more about this it goes so much farther than I I can even
realize because I have not done the job you guys have Craig I I did want to wrap up a little bit
reminding people to be educated be informed and when you are out there voting and getting in on
some of the elections coming up yeah we I know we did not have a primary for our old vacant
school board seats here locally in Rapids but I would bring that up simply because I'm sure you'll
start to see some campaigning and things ramping up since the primary season is now concluded
with reference to the to the school board we have three vacant seats in five candidates running
and of course that's I think April second the vote in April is when that transpires those folks will
be on the ballot and clearly I would just encourage anybody to you know do your research and understand
what candidates stand for and what their motivations are for being on something like a school board
because I think it's it's it goes without saying that well no actually I'm going to say it so it
doesn't go without saying it goes with saying this time around that what we are hoping for in any
capacity if you are a member of a school board is that your intentions are about supporting that
entity and being there in a supportive but regulatory and accountability sort of fashion I understand
that the boards three main goals is one of my favorite things to tell people school boards three
main goals are to hire and fire superintendents that's one of my personal favorites that's one
number two is to set policy and number three is to pay the bills though that's the role of a
school board that's why administrators like myself get paid what we do to do the job that we have to
do because of course they are not charged with the nuance of operations that would be wild and
it's also in violation of several statutory obligations in terms of employee management or student
confidentiality and we can get into that in a whole nother show but the point is is that if we have
people in positions of leadership in the community whose goal is to undermine the very entity that
they are supposedly leading we are going down an incredibly dangerous path and that's not because
oh that brawn just wants to keep his job or he's afraid of you know being held accountable no it's
none of that because again we've got nothing to hide and what we're operating is a school no
smoking mirrors it's pretty status quo stuff and pretty boring too frankly if you attend board meetings
there's a really you know it's people are like you're really this yep sorry this is what we do
but it is super important to have put people in positions of authority particularly
in elected positions to be advocates not only for the entity that they're you know supposedly
leading but also the community at large and no one wins when we simply point fingers no one wins
and if we have a problem with the way our community is then clearly state what the problems are
but then also propose some solutions think about how you can engage and you referenced this early
earlier and it has to do with having that community feel being respectful to one another and saying
you know what I get where you're coming from and you know you understand where I'm coming from
we've agreed that this is a problem so here's some things we can work together to improve
now if you if I thought you were a crappy radio host and James and I just came in here and said boy
you're terrible at doing your job James is just a shame and then walk out I'm sure that's going
to create you I mean you're just automatically going to become a better radio host
right right yeah this overnight just just like that just from here and clearly I'm no
radio expert but if you and I sat down and we just had a conversation about what I think you
might do to improve and it was very collegial and a friendly supportive conversation you may do
those things yeah and so that underpinning is so clear to me and when you get into this air of
negativity and everything's a problem flavor the day outrage yes yes so fine being I mean I may
I'm angry all the time right I'd like to I have a mantra now and again that's what we call
as mantrims I have a mantrim now and again and that's all fine and good but then what are you
going to do how are you going to move that forward in a spirit of support and collaboration particularly
when you're talking about a school or a community yeah anybody can complain anybody can bark oh
but are you are what are you are you talking loud and saying nothing or actually I want to make
something happen here I think you hit it on the head crank if your first priority is not children
and their education and furthering that you you don't belong in this game you you don't
belong in it and and to be honest and I'm going to go a little overtime here a little bit because I
I've gotten into this with a lot of our listeners before when we have our representatives on we
have politicians on or anything I've get asked why don't you ask hard questions why don't you ask
hardball questions I don't have to listen if you're listening to people they will give you the
answers they will tell you who they are and where they stand if you ask a school board candidate
what would you do to improve the schools or what would you do here or something and all they want
to do is complain or all they want to do is talk about the person in the position right now or
something and they're not giving you anything on what you the quit they're not answering the question
right there you've got a lot of your answers you don't have to do a ton of digging but we
encourage you to do your homework during the selection year about any of these things and be
educated and and again all this comes back to supporting the kids and doing and making sure that
our future is bright and there's shines on appreciate the work from all of you so very much thank
you so much for what you're doing for our community our kids and putting up with me again I
appreciate the time we'll talk again real soon thank you thanks James thank you well a more
midday magazine for you next week a big shout out to Pam healthy the heart of this station and
goes a great job scheduling we appreciate you Pam have a good week everybody we'll talk to you
soon later right here at WFHR locally grown radio
