Keiki Steps

This past week we started Anna at a preschool called Keiki Steps (pronounced kay-key). I heard about it from my friend Becky whose neighbor goes there. It's technically a program for native Hawaiians (which we are not by any stretch of the imagination) but it's more like they give priority to natives and since there was room, they let us in.

Before we could apply, we had to get TB tests. The state does the tests for free every Tuesday so we just went down and stood in line. Anna did really well about getting it done. She watched the nurse do it and didn't start to cry until they put the stuff in. It was cute because then, when we said it was my turn, she said she didn't want it to be my turn.

As part of the registration process, there was a developmental questionnaire. It was for a 33 month old (which she will be at the beginning of November) and she does everything in it. Then there was a vocabulary test where there were four pictures and they had her point to one. She did really well until she got tired and announced she was done. We tried to let her play for a while and get back to it but at that point you could tell her heart wasn't in it. For several in a row she just pointed to the top left picture. In spite of that, the lady giving the test said she was doing really well. I love it when I can quantify how smart she is.

Now onto the program. They meet four days a week at an elementary school from 8:30 to 11:30 and a parent stays with them (which is why I needed a TB test too). They start with a circle time where we talk about the date, days of the week, a color, a shape, sing songs and learn a little Hawaiian. Then there are stations followed by snack time and outside time. I think the outside time is Anna's favorite. They have a water table, sometimes a bubble table and a birdseed table (like sand but with birdseed instead of sand) along with balls and other outside toys.

Last week we only went for two days to ease us both into it. Anna had a lot of fun and it was kind of nice being there with her. The downside is that then I give up my whole morning too. I'm not sure how much we are going to end up going on a regular basis but it's great for Anna to play with the other kids. I knew she needed something on the Monday after General Conference. She needed to get out and play because she hadn't had nursery that week. It's also nice to meet the other moms in the area that have kids Anna's age. Maybe we'll both get new friends out of this.

Update: I wrote this a while ago. We have been almost every day this week and we love it. Anna is very sad every time we have to leave. My friend Becky is there with her kids. We also got the score from her vocabulary test and she scored with the vocabulary of a 3 year 5 month old. All that reading seems to be doing her good.