“Well, first and foremost, we’ve made a huge leap into our future…”
No, we’re not listening to a NASA bureaucrat describing the latest steps towards a 2024 moon landing… to a room full of news reporters in Washington DC.
Rather, we’re listening to Jan Santopietro, the Early Childhood Care project coordinator for the non-profit Archuleta County Education Center (ACEC)… addressing the Pagosa Springs Town Council at their July 18 regular meeting.
“I would like to introduce Dennis Bissmeyer, who has been hired by the Archuleta County Education Center as Executive Director for ‘Wings’. Of course, this is going to allow us to move into the next phase of our project, which is to open the Wings Early Childhood Center this fall…”
The ‘Wings’ facility is located near the County airport, in a building that served as home to the Greenhouse Restaurant before it went bankrupt in the late 1990s. The childcare project has been four or five years in development, thanks to funding from private donations, grants, and local government subsidies. The center expects to enroll up to 40 children age 1-5, based on a 2017 report that calculated a shortage of about 280 childcare slots in Archuleta County.
From an ACEC press release:
Dennis and his wife Gloria, an elementary school counselor, have had their home in Pagosa Springs, Colorado since 1989.
Having the distinction of being the first male to major and graduate in Child Development at San Diego State College, Dennis has gained a practitioner’s skill set and perspective on the developmental stages of learning and behaviors in children. His knowledge and application of early childhood is wrapped around the philosophical models of Reggio Emilia, Piaget, and similar educational concepts. This foundation in child development has been instrumental in the creation of curriculum and programs of instruction that are brain-based, experiential, authentic, and inquiry-oriented. Two such programs he founded, ABC Preschool (Acceptance, Belonging, Community), and Dream Weavers Enterprises (Students Working and Learning Together)) were recognized as a State site for excellence in Arizona and Oregon.
Moving individuals, parents, teachers, systems and organizations toward meeting the unique needs of the ‘whole’ child has been a driving theme throughout his career.
Mr. Bissmeyer was in attendance at the July 18 Council meeting, and was asked by Mayor Don Volger to introduce himself.
Mr. Bissmeyer: “Actually, I have to thank Jan and the many people who have made this possible — who have done the heavy lifting, as probably all of you know… Our job will be to help children become the people they will be, in high school and as adults, so the work is significant.
“Our philosophy is based on Reggio Emilia, which some of you may be familiar with… We’re not going to be a daycare center; we’re going to be an educational center.”
The Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education was developed after World War II by pedagogist Loris Malaguzzi in collaboration with parents in the villages surrounding Reggio Emilia, Italy, and derives its name from the city. As I understand it, the approach is based on the following basic principles:
- Children must have some control over the direction of their learning;
- Children must be able to learn through experiences of touching, moving, listening, and observing;
- Children have a relationship with other children and with material items in the world that they must be allowed to explore;
- Children must have endless ways and opportunities to express themselves.
According to a Wikipedia article on Reggio Emilia, “Children are considered to be ‘knowledge bearers’, and are encouraged to share their thoughts and ideas about everything they could meet or do during the day…” The child is seen as “beautiful, powerful, competent, creative, curious, and full of potential and ambitious desires.” Rather than being seen as the target of instruction, children are seen as having the active role of an apprentice. They are treated as social beings, and a focus is made on the child in relation to other children, the family, the teachers, and the community rather than on each child in isolation.
Dennis Bissmeyer: “As they say, vision without action is a broken promise. And Jan and her team and everybody who’s been involved… I’m just so proud to be a part of this effort.
“We’re hoping to open in the fall. A lot of that has to do with the Colorado Department of Education, and we’re working now to get all the applications in. We’re excited to get to work. And as things progress down the road, we’ll make sure to keep you informed about what’s going on… And thank you for your support, and for your future support as well…”
The Council then moved on to the next agenda item, the Lodgers Tax report.
Tourism seems to be thriving in Pagosa Springs, and many people have a general sense that the low-wage jobs in the tourist industry are often filled by younger adults with children. Here at the Daily Post we’re been reporting on the challenges facing young families, in terms of spiraling housing costs in Archuleta County. We’ve never, to my knowledge, done a thorough report on how much a parent pays for childcare in our community.
Is it even feasible to relocate to Pagosa Springs while raising a toddler or preschooler?
Can Wings help address the financial challenges — while also providing an above-average educational experience?