Big gift for Two Rock School’s little guys

Construction has been completed on a new preschool, transitional kindergarten and kindergarten playground at Two Rock School.|

Construction has been completed on a new preschool, transitional kindergarten and kindergarten playground at Two Rock School.

In February, the Two Rock Board of Education voted to invest $100,000 on a new playground designed specifically for small children. To maximize limited facilities funds, Two Rock also applied for and received a $25,000 Preschool Facilities Grant from First 5 of Sonoma County.

One of the goals of First 5 is to expand access to preschool programs in rural areas and to low-income families. Fifty-five percent of the students at Two Rock are low-income or English language learners. Two Rock serves children from families working on the U.S. Coast Guard Training Center and children living on nearby farms.

“There is a lack of preschool options for families living and working in this rural community. We wanted to provide an affordable, quality program to meet the demand,” says Toni Beal, superintendent/principal of the single-school district. “In the past few years, some families have driven their young children to other districts for preschool and have stayed there for elementary school. This has led to declining enrollment at Two Rock School. The Board hopes the addition of the program will attract and retain more students.”

Two Rock hired Randy Fleming-Stephens of Dreamscapes to design the new playground and manage construction. Volunteer workers, including people from the adjacent Coast Guard base, helped to keep costs under control.

Two Rock School is partnering with STARS Preschool to provide the new preschool program. STARS is renting a classroom at Two Rock. Preschool fees charged are on a sliding scale based on family income. For more information contact Jynx Lopez at jynxelopez@comcast.net or 707-865-0223.

The new playground serves children in transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, the STARS Preschool, and a special education preschool class newly offered at Two Rock School through the South County Special Education Consortium.

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