Students in two area school districts are learning what it’s like to run a preschool before they ever graduate from high school. Even better than the hands-on training is they are earning college credit while doing it.

The Appleton East and Menasha high school students are enrolled in Child Development, a dual credit class associated with the Early Childhood Education program at Fox Valley Technical College. In this three-credit class, students are taught child development theories and how to apply them when teaching preschoolers. They also develop a curriculum and put their lesson plans to the test by leading activities at a temporary preschool they set up inside their high school.

“The preschools are a great test drive for those students exploring whether they would like to pursue a career working with children or not,” says Kathy Meetz, department chair of Early Childhood Education. “The information in the class is useful to anyone who is around children, whether as a sibling, parent, relative or neighbor. When we understand child development, we understand why children do the things they do.”

Currently, there are 13 high schools—both inside and outside of the FVTC district—teaching the child development class as dual credit. Other classes being offered as dual credit in area high schools include Infant Toddler Development, Health Safety and Nutrition, and Foundations of Early childhood.

Appleton Post Crescent recently wrote about the Child Development dual credit class. Read the story here:

These Appleton and Menasha high schoolers are running preschools – and earning college credit while doing it