For more information contact:
Madison Area YMCA
Marketing & Communications Department
lcozewith@madisonymca.org 

For Immediate Release 

Kirby Preschoolers Prepare for Kindergarten
Join Us for an Enriching Learning Experience 

Caption: Preschool Lead Teachers, AnnaMaria Paternostro (left) and Laura Gloss (right) prepare to welcome new students to the F.M. Kirby Children’s Center.  

(Madison, NJ) September 11, 2020 – The years leading up to kindergarten are a crucial time in a child’s academic journey and the foundations set during early years lay the path for success in the future. At the F.M. Kirby Children’s Center of the Madison Area YMCA, teachers and staff understand the importance of creating a developmentally enriching environment where students can grow and prepare for kindergarten, the next stage of their early learning experience.  

Kirby provides year-round early childhood care and education for students ages 6 weeks to 5 years. With small class sizes, students receive highly personalized attention, care, and education. Teachers at Kirby follow the Creative Curriculum, using fun activities as a vehicle for learning as well as setting developmentally appropriate goals and objectives for students in four stages: social/emotional, physical, cognitive and language. These stages encourage self-confidence, independence, critical thinking and communication. Teachers prepare educational, unique and engaging lessons that promote creative learning. Weekly studies encourage students to learn through structured activities as they continue to develop their minds. Former Preschool parent, and current Toddler parent Erin Donadio, shared her thoughts on her daughter’s experience with the Kirby Preschool program. “The education [my daughter received] ...has been incredible to watch. The projects...and the insight she relays shows me that she not only had a blast...but she is learned an incredible amount”.  

The F.M. Kirby Children’s Center preschool program provides students with the opportunity to participate in both outdoor and indoor STEM activities. Complete with a mud kitchen, stage and climbing web, Kirby’s age-appropriate preschool playground allows students to express their creativity while learning about measurements, teamwork and problem solving. Center Director Karé Matrisciano has been a part of the F.M. Kirby Children’s Center long before her professional career began. Having attended the F.M. Kirby Children’s Center as a preschooler, Matrisciano said, “the programs at Kirby, especially those geared toward preparing our students for kindergarten, highlight key educational elements and assist students and their parents for the academic journeys ahead. Kirby is such a part of my past and present. I greatly enjoy seeing the future in our preschoolers as they embark on their educational journey.”  

Academic preparedness, enriching curriculum and social and physical growth help children develop healthy minds and bodies. Kirby not only lays the path for academic success, it provides a safe and welcoming environment where children can learn, play and grow under the care of highly skilled and dedicated staff.  

Interested in enrollment? Select classroom opportunities are available for the school year. Please email Director of Child Care Services, Karen Fusco at KFusco@madisonymca.org.  

Be sure to visit out our new virtual tour of the Kirby Center at www.madisonareaymca.org/childcare-education.   

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