A few more reasons to love our college town...

One of the perks of living in Rome is all of the wonderful things available to us thru Berry. We decided that when we got married that if we stayed in Rome and if we were financially able that we would take advantage of all that Berry has to offer for our future family. Here are a few of the things Berry has to offer...

Kindermusik:

A music class that starts for infants and goes all the way to school age. Each semester focuses on something different and gives young children a wide exposure to the wonderful world that is music and the arts.

Child Development Center (CDC for short):

The CDC is the lab preschool here at Berry and it falls under the Charter School of Education at Berry College. As a student of the Charter School I had to spend a semester doing practicum work in one of the classrooms at the CDC. Not only are there practicum students in the classrooms on a regular basis there are college students that work in each classroom each day as part of Berry's on-campus work program. This is incredibly unique because it can make the adult to student ratio very low. Thus, allowing each child that goes there lots of one on one help, instruction, and guidance that you might not find in a typical preschool. The CDC has classes for 3-5 year olds with one of the major requirements being that they be potty trained before they start "school". 

Berry College Elementary and Middle School (BCEMS for short):

BCEMS is the lab school here at Berry and it falls under the Charter School of Education at Berry College as well. It contains one classroom per grade level starting with Kindergarten thru Eighth grade. My on campus job while I was a student was to work at Berry Elementary and I worked in Mary Niedrach's Kindergarten class. AKA AG and Avi-Kate's GrandMary. I loved working there! Like the CDC there are tons of college students in the school daily for on campus work, student teaching, and practicum experiences. Again, this makes the adult to student ratio much lower than in a traditional classroom. I love all the things that makes the Berry Education unique. BCEMS strives to give it's students an education of the head, the heart, and the hands just like the college does for it's students. They desire to educate the whole child not part of the child. For this reason our desire would be for our children to attend school here...because where else is your child going to take a field trip every week in Kindergarten relating to what they are learning that week? (Yes, for every letter of the alphabet there is a field trip!)

So, for spring semester we have enrolled AG in a Kindermusik class. He goes on Friday mornings and we are happy to be in class with our best friend Emma and our friend Addison, from church. Today I sent an email to the director of the CDC inquiring about enrollment for next January for AG. I can't believe I'm working on preschool options for my child. It seems like just yesterday I was doing practicum up at the CDC. Before I know it I'll be sending him off to Kindergarten in the classroom that I worked in for four years! It amazes me how quickly time flies...