Montclair Community Pre-K Adds Lessons to STEAM Initiative

Montclair Community Pre-K (MCPK) has added two new lessons to the STEAM initiative. One initiative focuses on construction, while the other that focuses on the development process. STEAM is an initiative created by MCPK that teaches children critical thinking, problem solving and collaboration skills through their everyday interests.

“Our STEAM initiative enhances the hands-on, experiential, project approach to learning that has been so successful,” said Stephanie Fitzgerald, Executive Director of Montclair Community Pre-K. “This initiative is a wonderful way for our children to use their natural curiosities to develop critical skills of creativity and innovation, while also building their problem solving and communication skill-set.”

Located next to the Valley & Bloom construction site, the children of MCPK were eager to learn about the construction process and machinery used on-site. LCOR and The Pinnacle Companies, community supporters and co-developers of the project, partnered with the Montclair Community Pre-K through their STEAM Initiative to educate the children about the construction and planning process.

The first STEAM lesson focused on construction with a Q&A led by Valley & Bloom’s construction manager about the responsibilities as the builder, as well as interesting facts about the equipment being used. The second STEAM program will be led by the developers of the project, Jim Driscoll of LCOR and Brain Stolar of The Pinnacle Companies, who will explain the decision and planning process behind building a multi-faceted project.

When construction started at Valley & Bloom, the children of Montclair Community Pre-K immediately showed interest in the daily activity. As a result, one of classes began an in-depth construction exploration. The science center included building materials and opportunities to practice hammering and using a screw driver, the block building center included pictures of various buildings in Montclair that the children could view and the library center included books on construction, engineering and architecture.

Eager to construct something themselves, the children of MCPK voted on building a restaurant named Lily’s. The children collaborated on developing a blueprint and then built the restaurant to include a triangle window, arched door, heart shaped sign, a decorated back splash and curtains.

The MCPK STEAM Initiative was created in 2014 as a way to ensure that the children of the Montclair Community Pre-K acquire the 21st Century skills and knowledge necessary for success in school and in life. STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics.

Information and images courtesy of the Montclair Community Pre-K.