Preschool Brings Parents and Children Together

Little Reanna Wright walked up the make-believe aisle in her white wedding dress and giggled when the groom failed to appear.

All of the boys, ages 2 1/2 to 5, were too shy to volunteer.

Wright, age 4, had a good time anyway at the mock wedding staged in her preschool classroom by teacher Carol Gerk and watched by the childrens’ parents.

A short time later, while the youngsters played games, a group of 12 mothers and one father sat in another classroom to discuss the educational topic of the day--children and sexuality.

Gerk moderated the adult session, helping the parents air their feelings about when and how to discuss the birds and the bees with their inquisitive tots.

With few exceptions, only preschool children whose mother or father is willing to attend classes with them can attend the unique long-running program at the Hillside Adult Education School in South San Francisco. The parents must help in the classroom activities of the youngsters and attend the daily adult discussion groups.

“It’s a special kind of parent who comes,” Gerk said. “They’re vitally interested in their kids. They know that raising kids is the most important job in the world.”

Projects vary at the school depending on the season. The parents, guided by the instructors, help the children make Christmas gifts, Valentines cards or Easter baskets. The youngsters also grow vegetables in a garden just outside the classroom.

“At this age, nobody is a better teacher for them than their own parents,” said Charlie Morden, a single father who said he doesn’t regret quitting his job in order to attend the school with his 3-year-old son, Taylor.

“These are the magic years for Taylor, when everything’s new and exciting,” Morden said. “To be able to share that is something you can’t put a price on.”

Psychologists and other educational experts are invited each week to speak with the parents on a variety of topics such as mother-daughter relationships, sexuality of the preschool child and child management.

Weekly field trips involve the children and parents. They’ve taken coastal hikes with famed naturalist Elizabeth Terwilliger and visited a planetarium. Before school ends they’ll take an airplane tour at San Francisco International Airport and visit an aquarium and a zoo.

Gerk, who has run the same type of program for 17 years, said the special arrangement allows parents to participate and keep in touch with their children’ progress. It’s also a way of being certain they’re not subject to abuse or mistreatment.

“Parents need educated in the field of child care and observation,” Gerk said. “It’s really important and there’s very few places where it’s taught.”

In addition to the preschool classroom, infants up to age 2 1/2 are cared for in an adjoining nursery.