St. Peter's Preschool Prepares To Reopen

When St. Peter's Preschool, 10 Delp Road, Lancaster, shut down in accordance with COVID-19 restrictions in March of 2020, teachers left their classrooms and did not return until the summer of 2021. Until the teachers were able to begin to prepare for the school's reopening on Monday, Sept. 13, calendars, lists of student names, and seasonal classroom decorations remained locked in time.

Now, all that is changing, as teachers and Heather Cramer, St. Peter's Preschool director, work to get ready for the arrival of new students. Cramer anticipates a few changes when the parents line up cars to drop off the children on the first day. "We will be a bit smaller than in the past to give a little more social distance for children," said Cramer, who has reduced class size from 16 students to 12 with a teacher and assistant. There will be a class for young 3-year-olds meeting three days a week and classes for 4- and 5-year-olds that meet five days a week with an option for four days a week. Classes will meet from 9 a.m. to noon each weekday.

In addition to classrooms, children will have scheduled access to a courtyard playground outfitted with a variety of equipment and a material on the ground that facilitates soft landings. A gym area provides bikes, hula hoops, and other types of indoor play equipment. One of the classrooms has been turned into a children's library that students can visit. It also provides waiting space for parents who visit. Cramer has decorated the area with characters from children's books such as "The Very Hungry Caterpillar."

When some teachers retired at the advent of COVID-19 restrictions, they chose to donate educational resources to St. Peter's. "They left toys, games, and puzzles," noted Cramer. "We had what we needed for classes, so we offered gently used toys to Milagro House, (Gaudenzia) Vantage House (and others)." In addition, toys were donated to Miracle Center Fellowship, a nondenominational place of worship in Mount Joy that used the items to set up a Sunday school program and vacation Bible camp.

Another change is an extended lunch program, which will meet on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. "(Students) will have the option of signing up for Prayground," said Cramer, who said that this activity will be led by either herself or Sister Dottie Almoney, director of education and outreach for St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church, which oversees the preschool ministry. "There will be a Bible lesson or music or cooking or a science experiment - something they didn't do in the morning," explained Cramer.

Cramer, who has early childhood and elementary education degrees from Millersville University, has contacted her alma mater about helping students with observation experience. "(Millersville) students could read a story, observe, or do a lesson plan," she said. "They could come in for that experience."

Readers who would like to learn more about the preschool may visit http://www.stpeterslutheran.org/preschool/ or call 717-569-9211.