Play-based learning thrives in Little Spartans Early Learning Program thanks to Sycamore preschool teacher

SYCAMORE – Inside Laurel Copeland’s Little Spartans Early Learning Program classroom, play-based learning is a key function of daily curriculum for the preschool children, some as young as 3.

The Little Spartans Early Learning Program is a preschool run by Sycamore School District 427 out of South Prairie Elementary School in Sycamore. Play-based learning isn’t just children in a classroom with toys, Copeland said. The curriculum revolves around focus on all areas of early development for the child in order to help prepare them for continuing grade school education and gain confidence socially and emotionally.

For Copeland, teaching children of mixed ages all in one classroom in a joy.

“Oh I love it, Copeland said. “My absolute favorite part of teaching preschool is watching our younger students learn from our older students, having our older students be the model. And being able to watch them grow from three to five, there’s so much development that happens, so it’s really neat to be able to watch them flourish and turn into the learners that they are.”

Niamh Welp, an early childhood coordinator in District 427, said Copeland is a great example of an educator who uses play-based learning to help students as young as 3 years old grow socially and mentally.

“Mrs. Copeland, along with all of our teachers, is a fantastic teacher,” Welp said. “She loves her play-based learning environment and kind of just tailoring everything to all of her students’ needs and meeting them where they’re at at preschool and having fun together.”

Jocelyn Walz, a Little Spartans student, said she likes Copeland for her clothes and earrings. When it comes to her afternoon preschool class, Jocelyn said she enjoys all the songs the class sings, such as “Bunny Sleepy.”

“We’re their first introduction to school. So if kids walk away from here feeling like they love school, they love being here, then I feel like we’ve done our job.”

—  Laurel Copeland, preschool teacher

Lenny Eisele, a Little Spartan paraprofessional who works in Copeland’s class, said working with Copeland is great because she lets him and their paraprofessional take ownership of the class, especially when one or two of them have to break away to deal with behavioral issues.

Eisele said he’s also a big believer in the play-based learning he’s seen Copeland teach with in the classroom.

“The play-based learning, I’ve seen it work from my own kids to these kids, and it’s a wonderful way to do education,” Eisele said. “These kids might come in with some individual education plans, where they’re a little bit behind or they’ve got some emotional needs – everybody here, we really just meet the kids where they’re at, and that helps them grow. And we’ve seen it, and we do it all just to see them grow, and that’s really the joy of the job.”

Preschool curriculum at Little Spartans Early Learning Program is especially critical for the youngsters in Copeland’s class.

“One of the most important areas of development is social emotional learning,” Copeland said. “So we want kids to come in here and gain that confidence. We want to be able to collaborate with others, express their emotions, solve problems with each other, build connections and relationships with the adults and the peers in their classroom.”

Taniesha Harrison, 36, of Cortland, is the other paraprofessional who helps in Copeland’s mixed-age preschool class.

Harrison has been a paraprofessional for four years and is currently enrolled at Northern Illinois University to become a preschool teacher. When she graduates next spring, she said she hopes to find an opportunity to work as a full-fledged teacher.

When she gets her own classroom, she’ll reflect on the lessons Copeland taught to their students and to her over the several years they’ve worked together.

“I would like to thank Mrs. Copeland. I’ve been working with her since I’ve been here, and it’s been nothing but a joy,” Harrison said. “She’s very caring, she’s very supportive. I love her work ethic, I love how she runs the classroom. It’s been a pleasure to work with her.”

When Eisele was asked how impressive he finds Copeland, he shared a similar sentiment to Harrison.

“I can’t even tell you how great she’s been,” Eisele said. “She always has this ability just to get the kids to listen and learn, and she’s so great at helping us doing the play, and having us do productive play, where it’s not just like counting, it’s like, OK, we’re playing with something, and now we’re counting while we’re playing, like, ‘Oh, how many do I have?’ You know, you just have this whole thing where she’s created such a great environment that the kids can learn.”

Avery Anderson, another preschool student in Copeland’s class, said she loves attending preschool with Copeland as her teacher.

Because we can build and we can play with tons of princesses,” Anderson said.

Welp, who oversees the early education program, said she thinks Copeland stands out for her passion about play-based learning and having fun in preschool.

She said Copeland, along with the rest of the teachers in the program, does an exceptional job of creating a space for the students they host to learn and grow, even if they’re as young as 3 years old.

“I think all of our Little Spartans team – our paraprofessionals, our related services, our teachers – all work really hard to meet kids where they’re at and take into account their individuality and their education needs,” Welp said.

All that truly matters, in preschool at least, is whether students have a happy, fun environment to learn social skills in. The best way to do that is to have a teacher who students adore and respects, something that seems to be the case in Copeland’s classroom.

The preschool teacher heralded her colleagues, including the Little Spartan program’s administrator, therapist, occupational therapists, physical therapists and speech pathologists.

“We’re their first introduction to school,” Copeland said. “So if kids walk away from here feeling like they love school, they love being here, then I feel like we’ve done our job.

When asked if she likes her teacher, Anderson gave an emphatic yes.

“Yeah, Mrs. Copeland, I love her,” Anderson said before throwing herself at Copeland, seeking a hug.