Walking through the brightly accented halls of Watkins Early Childhood Center, you’ll hear young student voices singing and speaking in both Spanish and English. The learning experience that preschool offers is a whole new world for any child, but this educational journey is a bit different.
“The fact that we offer [dual language] at such a young age speaks to the effort of cultural competency we teach our children — to be tolerant, accepting and interested in other cultures,” says Amy Gulick, Watkins’ principal.
Watkins Early Childhood Center, home of “the Stars,” emphasizes each child’s inherent potential and nurtures growth in so many ways. With 293 students and a dedicated team of teachers and administrators, the preschool programs are constructed with students’ growth in mind. In each classroom, little learners are always guided by two grown-ups: a certified teacher and an instructional assistant. The school offers free breakfast and lunch for everyone and two daily opportunities for students to play outside.
“Until last year, Watkins was the only Newport News Public Schools (NNPS) preschool offering dual language,” says Susanna Bailey, instructional supervisor of world languages and dual language immersion. Originally, the dual language program within NNPS began at Saunders Elementary. At Watkins, it was introduced in kindergarten in 2014, expanding to Pre-K in 2017. Classes continue into higher academic levels at Gildersleeve Middle School and Menchville High School. Bailey shares that a Department of Defense Education Activity grant allowed for expansion into Denbigh Early Childhood Center, a second Pre-K site, and Katherine Johnson Elementary School.
The dual language Immersion program, which composes two full classes at Watkins, maintains the goal for students to become bilingual and biliterate. Students spend half of the instructional day speaking and learning in English, with the other half of the day reserved for speaking and learning Spanish. “The population here lends itself to our model for the dual language program,” says Bailey, “We try to make the classes comprised of 50 percent native Spanish speakers and 50 percent English speakers, so students can learn and grow with their peers.”
Gulick says the growth of this program, alongside their typical preschool program, have incited an exciting community response, piquing the interests of more potential parents and families. This growth comes after the program’s shrinking following COVID-19. “Early childhood is a small world,” Gulick says, but Watkins has become known “as this very powerful experience for children. Families know that.”
Annmarie Hanrahan, preschool supervisor and a VPI coordinator for the Commonwealth of Virginia, has always been passionate about early childhood education. Watkins’ preschool program facilitates “child-led learning through play.” Morning experiences allow students to prepare for the day’s activities at their own pace, which include hands-on learning opportunities like working with math manipulatives.
“I love working with teachers and families of very young students, because this is their first opportunity to go to school,” Gulick says. She emphasizes the necessity of instilling a love in school, teaching children to be learners and engaging in social-emotional learning at this formative time. “Our families are so supportive, in terms of them understanding the investment of early childhood education and that they are their child’s first teacher.”
“Typically, preschool children have younger parents — a lot of them, it’s the first child that’s going to school,” Hanrahan says. “Sometimes, when they’re able to go to the program, [parents are] so excited, it’s as if their child has been accepted to Harvard. It makes me to happy that my job can bring them that much joy because they care so much about their child.”
Bailey spoke of students whose first language is Spanish and their growth in their non-native language. “Seeing them at this young age and hearing our native English speakers proud to speak Spanish,” Bailey says, “sums up the beauty of what I do, and being able to support this program and giving students this opportunity — it’s everything.” She also shared that the school district’s upcoming Celebrate Me event will coincide with National Foreign Language Week, creating a dual language community day event to come.
For those who work in schools, life outside of work can be a balancing act that often includes more young faces at home. The oldest of Gulick’s children is preparing for college. Hanrahan says her 12-year-old “keeps [her] busy.”
Bailey’s oldest child attends James Madison University, while her younger child in second grade attended Watkins’ dual language program virtually in 2020. She also has another budding Pre-K student of her own who will attend Watkins next year. “I definitely appreciate the perspective as a supervisor and a parent,” she says. “I can see firsthand that [the program] really works.”
Watkins Early Childhood Center is named after Dorothy Roles Watkins, and a painted portrait of her hangs in the building. Watkins was an African-American teacher in Newport News who lost her job after she brought a case against the Newport News School Board in favor of equal pay for white and Black teachers. In 1974, months before she passed away, Watkins was appointed to the Newport News School Board.
TO THE POINT:
Watkins Early Childhood Center
Address: 21 Burns Dr., Newport News, VA 23601
Contact: watkinsecc.nn.k12.va.us/contact.html
Phone: 757-591-4815
Website: watkinsecc.nn.k12.va.us
