McKinley Early Childhood Center Celebrates Success in Second Year
- Steve Jurrens
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Northeast Radio SD News - Watertown, SD - The Watertown School Board received an enthusiastic update last night on the progress of the McKinley Early Childhood Center (ECC), which is now in its second year of operation.
Emily Hatton, Principal of McKinley ECC, presented an overview of the center’s mission, emphasizing its goal to provide a safe, prideful, and supportive foundation for the district’s youngest learners, with a strong focus on social-emotional development…
McKinley ECC serves as a hub for the district’s foundational programs, ranging from infants to kindergarteners:
· Birth to Three Services: These special education services are provided to children across Codington County, often delivered directly in the child’s home, to meet individual developmental needs.
· Three-Year-Old Special Education Preschool: A program designed to help children develop school-readiness skills through play-based activities, which includes direct services such as physical, occupational, and speech therapy within the McKinley building.
· Regular Preschool: The tuition and Title-based program offers four sections where students engage in district curriculum, with unique curriculum elements like attending breakfast or lunch in the cafeteria with peers.
· Junior Kindergarten (JK): The full-day program, with two sections, serves as a transitional year for students with summer birthdays or those who need additional social-emotional development before entering kindergarten. JK students receive daily Physical Education (PE) and regular Music, Art, and Counseling classes.
· Kindergarten: The center houses nine sections of kindergarten, which also benefit from PE, Music, Art, and Counseling, as well as cross-classroom collaboration time for teachers.
Hatton highlighted that much of the academic learning at McKinley takes place through purposeful play and hands-on activities…
Photos shown to the board illustrated students engaged in activities that looked like play—such as a student working with animal categories for a social studies lesson or a preschool class cutting and painting to build fine motor skills—but were foundational to skill development.
The center is also focused on building collective, school-wide experiences…
Hatton praised the district’s busing services, calling them a “huge asset for families.” McKinley offers a midday busing option for preschool students traveling to daycares or homes, as well as post-school busing for kindergarteners going to Educare, Little Village Daycare, or direct transfer to other elementary schools.
Board members encouraged continued promotion of the multi-site busing option, noting that it remains a convenient, safe choice for families with children at multiple school locations. Hatton confirmed that staff are always present for bus pickups and rides to ensure student safety during transitions.
The center has one developmental screening remaining this school year, scheduled for the end of January. Kindergarten and Preschool screenings are scheduled for March 16th. They will again utilize the half-day format that received positive feedback last year, allowing children to tour the school and experience a “mini day of school.”
