Focusing on preschool fun

BY NANCY KELLY

Kings County Register

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Preschoolers in Western Kings now have an opportunity to share some quality time at a once-weekly gathering at the Berwick branch of the Annapolis Valley Library.

Hosted by volunteer instructor Andrea Cutcliffe, who lives in Berwick, the hour-long “Activity 3�? session introduces three year-olds to a variety of activities in a social setting.

“Each week there is a different theme and we explore it through story time, some kind of craft and during a music circle time,�? explained Cutcliffe during the October 24 session while a group of youngsters put their personal decorating touches on paper spider creations.

Currently a stay-at-home-mom, Cutcliffe has three children, the youngest of whom is now aged three. She approached the library this past summer about putting on a structured program for preschoolers.

“I wanted to get him interacting with other children his own age in something more than a playgroup situation and I thought the library would be an ideal place to host this kind of program.�?

Seven preschoolers between the ages of two-and-a-half and four are enrolled in the no-cost program. Parents or caregivers are required to participate and Cutcliffe, who plans the sessions and provides all the creative materials, says the weekly experience introduces parents to new ways to communicate with their children and offers the youngsters a nice transition from home to a nursery school environment.

Berwick Library manager Alisha Thorne says now more than ever, volunteers like Cutcliffe impact the library’s ability to host community programming. Following recent cuts to federal CAP funding, the library is no longer able to fund staff to offer computer tutorials and preschool and after school programs. As a result, she says coming up with different ways to fund programs and sourcing out volunteers “will be come increasingly important if we want to continue providing past levels of service.�?

The Activity 3 program,which runs Tuesdays from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. until December 12, can accommodate a maximum of 10 participants. Those interested in joining the group are invited to drop in or call the library branch for more information.