ROB BROWN Enlarge Image

Arlene Pierre (far left) and Kelly Beckingham-Johnson, (far right), classmates Baylee Harbottle and Ben Boileau work on some fish painting last week at Darwin-Pre-Kindergarten.

Minnetonka School in south St. Vital will offer a new pre-kindergarten enrichment program beginning this fall.

The Darwin Pre-Kindergarten program will be offered to families two afternoons each week beginning in Septem­ber. It will be available to families within the school’s catchment area as well as those in other neighbourhoods.

"It is a kindergarten-enrichment program," said director Kelly Beckingham-Johnson.

Beckingham-Johnson said officials decided to forge ahead with the program despite a decline in enrolments in nursery and after-school programs in St. Vital in the past three or four years.

"There has been some tough times making the numbers," she said.

The Minnetonka program will be offered Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. It will offer a structured learning environment and feature an 8-to-1 student-teach ratio.

Beckingham-Johnson said she expects the program will appeal to families looking to help youngsters get acclimatized to a school setting.

"It will of course be fun but the structure will be tied to kindergarten curriculum to expand the learning that is going on in class," she said.

Parent Rhonda Boileau is already excited about the new program.

"It gets kids used to the fuller day which is coming the next year in Grade 1, plus the smaller student-to-teacher ratio is a great draw as well," she said.

Beckingham-Johnson said there is already considerable interest in the program among families in the community.

"There has been a lot of interest," she said. "I would say that something like this was needed just by the response we’ve received so far."

For more information call the school at 255-1724.

rob.brown@canstarnews.com