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Schools

New Program Prepares Local Preschool for State Rating

The Build A Star program provides Calvary Children's School with teacher training and resources.

August is School Readiness Month in Virginia, and this year, for one Arlington school, the students aren’t the only ones preparing for an exciting year of learning — their teachers are taking on new challenges as well.

Calvary Children’s School, a preschool in Crystal City, is the first to participate in a new regional program called Build A Star. The goal of Build A Star is to help local preschools improve their state quality rating, which is administered on a scale of one to five stars, within six months. 

“It’s not so much about the rating,” said Beth Posey, director of Calvary Children’s School. “It’s about improving the quality of what’s happening with the children.”

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Build A Star focuses on improving teacher qualifications, teacher-child interactions, class size and classroom environment.

So far, the program has helped prepare Calvary School by funding staff training, initiating a staff self-evaluation and providing the school with an online video library. Calvary is about halfway through the program, and should be prepared for rating within the next four months.

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The rating system is optional, and Calvary has not applied to be rated in the past, so it doesn't currently have a rating.

“For us, school readiness happens all year long,” said September Jones, executive director of Smart Beginnings Alexandria/Arlington. Jones works closely with Calvary School through the Build A Star program, which Smart Beginnings administers.

Smart Beginnings Alexandria/Arlington is a local branch of a statewide initiative to promote early childhood education. It is funded by the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation, Hopkins House Early Childhood Learning and the Arlington Kiwanis Club.

Calvary School applied to be in the Build A Star program, which cost $2,000 to implement.

“The ABCs and 123s are important,” Jones said. “But we really want to make sure that (students) leave here feeling good about themselves and that they can succeed in school.”

Gabby Everette, a summer student at Calvary, will begin kindergarten in the coming weeks and feels prepared to make the transition.

“I’m excited,” said Everette, 5.

Now that Calvary School’s students are ready for school, the staff can focus on the test they’ll soon be taking — their state rating.

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