The child development program was a class offered for anyone wanting to be a parent or a teacher. The class helps teach students how to care for preschool age children.

“We are aiming at educating our high school students as to how they as potential caregivers or parents in the future how they can support their children and making sure they’re ready for school,” Winslow said. “We/re also wanting to show the community Oak Park students are very trustworthy and they’re responsible with the kids they bring to us.”

FACS teacher Denise Winslow teaches two child development classes. In Child Development 1, students practice skills as if the class were an actual job they have working with kids. First semester, students learn about children and learning how to make lesson plans. Semester 2 was when they get to work with kids. Child Development 2 works with preK students and they spend a lot of time helping them learn what they need to know before going into kindergarten.

“It gives them a real life experience of working with children” Winslow said.

Mainly, Winslow said the students were the teachers. Students make the lesson plans, students teach the kids and students work with them one-on-one to get them ready for kindergarten.

Junior Kenzie Cowling said, “My favorite part is honestly working with the kids, it’s really interesting how different they are from each other.”

“I like going on Pinterest and finding weird projects for them to do…it’s really fun finding things to do with ordinary objects,” says junior Syd Brogdon.

“The goal for us is…to actually teach the kids and help them if they’re behind. We’ve had some students going into kindergarten who didn’t know any of their numbers,” Brogdon said.

“My favorite thing about the class is when the kids come, the class gets so much better because you form bonds with the kids,” said sophomore Mya Beck.