Preschool Safety in Unsafe NeighborhoodsJuly 21, 2008 |
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 Holding a young child's hand while crossing the street, or making sure he or she is safely buckled into a car seat are typical topics associated with child safety. But what about a gang fight in front of a preschool? Or a stray bullet tearing through a pre-K classroom? Marisol Sierra, winner of the 2008 Kohl McCormick Teacher Award, addresses these issues in her preschool class at McKinley Park Elementary School in Chicago. Sierra believes that her 3- to 5-year-olds are old enough to acknowledge neighborhood violence, and she teaches them peaceful alternatives. According to a recent Los Angeles Times article, a typical day in her classroom begins with children signing a contract promising not to touch a real gun or talk to gang members. The contract includes a picture of a gun in a circle and with a slash through it. Children then talk about experiences with gang fights and shootings in their neighborhood, and Sierra interjects statements like "[If we see a gang fight] we tell our moms and we call the 911 emergency. Do we stay there to watch?" "No!" the children respond collectively. All of this takes place before the day's nursery rhymes. Although crafted for her Chicago neighborhood, Sierra's techniques can easily be applied to Los Angeles County, which is home to more than 1,300 street gangs with some 150,000 members according to the Violence Prevention Coalition of Los Angeles. In 2002, there were 256 gang homicides in the City of Los Angeles alone within an eight month period. And just recently a 6-year-old boy was shot in the head when gang members opened fire on a family SUV. Although they cannot fix such insidious problems, preschool teachers can help connect with their students about the stress they experiences collectively in gang infested neighborhoods. A model for other instructors, Sierra's bold teaching style impressed the Dolores Kohl Education Foundation, a Chicago based non-profit whose goal is to enhance children's learning through the support of exemplary teaching. She received her award for outstanding skills, teaching the academics needed to ready students for kindergarten and her decision to discuss topics other teachers wouldn't dare bring up with such young children. |
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