“My Son Loves Learning”

As a teacher and administrator at Greens Farms Academy, Patti Lewis performed developmental assessments for four-year-old kindergarten applicants. She learned quickly about the “disparity between children who received a high-quality pre-school education and those who do not.”

Seeking to make a dent in this problem, and to create a tribute for her husband Adam, a victim of 9/11, Ms. Lewis founded the Adam J. Lewis Pre-School in Bridgeport. 

She and associate Julie Mombello, a former teacher at Christ and Holy Trinity Preschool and at GFA, acquired and rehabbed a home on the west side and opened their school with 12 two-, three-, and four-year-old students in December 2013. 

AJLP is a non-profit and privately funded “community based” school, a place where children from all parts of the city come to gain “a solid mastery of basic skills, character skills, confidence and self-esteem,” Lewis said, and added that its approach has a “Montessori lean.”

Recently, Lewis and Mombello spoke to Sunrise Rotary about their achievements and plans. They also showed a video of the school depicting its large, bright, open classroom where the children spend the majority of their day “with all kinds of exciting things with which to play.”

The children begin their day in their circle, singing their “Hello” song. Lewis and Mombello use the circle to teach days of the week, counting and to assign jobs for the week. One of the highlights is helping the children learn a new letter every week.

In another space, the children use blocks to create their own structures. They have a library where they can read on their own, and where Lewis and Mombello read to the class two or three times a day.

An even greater emphasis on reading is created by the school’s adoption of the “Raising A Reader” program to engage parents in reading to their children. Each child receives a red bag with four books every Wednesday and keeps it for weekend reading. The program introduces families that don’t have books and rarely get to the library - all too many, Ms. Lewis noted - to reading to their children. Books are in English and Spanish to make the program more inclusive and help the children share a second language. Lewis described the program very simply as “Fabulous.”

Mombello called the school’s art area a place where “everybody is allowed to be creative all the time—and where every work is a masterpiece.” It is also the area where they work on handwriting.

There’s an outdoor playground, “an extension of the classroom with lots of different learning areas. The sandbox is one of the most popular areas. It’s fun, it’s a place for creativity and a place where they practice social skills,” Lewis said.

But everyone’s favorite is the tricycle track. ‘It’s a hubbub of activity,” with the kids pedaling around and around the brick track.

Lewis stopped here to thank Adam’s former firm, Keefe, Bruyette and Woods, without whose help “we wouldn’t have had this amazing playground.” 

The video also introduced a few of the children and asked them about their favorite activities. Blocks, coloring, and science were really popular.

A good part of what makes AJLP work is the commitment of “dedicated parents” who participate in monthly workshops on such topics as parenting, the importance of reading, and nutrition. “When families join our group, it’s a team effort.”

Parents talked about “how much the teachers care about the kids, and how they are invested to ensure that the children are learning,” and that the small group affords lots of teacher attention.

“My son loves learning, and he got it from here,” one stated.

Tuition is $7,000, so the school is doing everything it can to be affordable. A few families pay full tuition. Others, after a means test, pay what they can afford, including some who pay $7.50 per week.

Looking ahead, “We know there’s such a huge need… We’re doing a lot of networking to get our name out there.” They are planning an April event to get better known within the education, religious and social service communities.

They’ve had two fundraisers, and plan another in the spring, and they’re reaching out to foundations.

They plan on expanding their program: first, to a longer day to accommodate working parents, then to collaborate with area universities for curriculum enrichment advice and as a source of teaching interns.

The Adam J. Lewis Preschool may not be unique, but it is essential.

Photo by Hal Levy

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Submitted by Fairfield, CT

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