BPC Newsletter - September 2026

Please use the link below to give input about Family Engagement Events. These are not PTO events, but events presented by Preschool Staff in collaboration with Greene Co. Preschool Therapists (Speech, OT, PT) and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultants. 

This information will help us best support your family throughout this school year. 

Link - Input Survey  

Have you ever asked your preschooler, “What did you do at school today?” only to hear… “I played!”?

That is a great answer! At preschool, play IS learning. Every part of our daily schedule is intentionally designed to help children learn, grow, build relationships, develop independence, and practice important skills. Here is a peek at what is happening throughout your child's preschool day.

During circle time, children come together as a classroom community. They may sing songs, listen to stories, talk about the day, participate in movement activities, explore a new concept, or share ideas with their classmates.

Circle time helps children learn how to participate as part of a group. They practice listening, communicating, taking turns, following directions, and sharing their ideas.

Children choose from different areas of the classroom to explore, create, pretend, build, investigate, and—most importantly—play! You may see children building with blocks, creating art, working with puzzles, pretending in dramatic play, exploring sensory materials, looking at books, writing, counting, or playing with friends.

Play is one of the most powerful ways young children learn. Teachers intentionally plan the classroom environment, materials, and experiences to encourage children to think, communicate, problem-solve, create, and interact with others. Teachers join children's play to ask questions, introduce new ideas, model language, support social interactions, and extend learning.

When your child says, “I played today!”—a LOT of learning happened!

Outside, children run, climb, jump, swing, dig, explore, pretend, take appropriate risks, and play together. Recess gives children opportunities to use their whole bodies while experiencing the world around them.

Young children need movement! Outdoor play supports physical development while also providing rich opportunities for social interaction, problem-solving, exploration, and independence.

Recess isn't a break from learning—it is an important part of learning!

Snack provides children with a chance to slow down, eat, talk with friends and teachers, and practice doing things for themselves.

Snack is a natural opportunity to build independence, communication, social skills, and healthy routines. Children may practice opening containers, cleaning up, making requests, having conversations, waiting, and helping with classroom routines.

Preschool children thrive when their days include a balance of predictable routines, purposeful play, movement, social interaction, and teacher-guided learning. A consistent schedule helps children know what to expect while giving them many different ways to learn and be successful.

Throughout one preschool session, a child may be a scientist, storyteller, artist, builder, mathematician, problem-solver, friend, helper, and explorer—sometimes all before snack!

Every part of our day has a purpose, and every part provides another opportunity for our children to play, connect, explore, and grow.

As the new school year begins, it’s an exciting time for your little one to reconnect with friends and meet new classmates. You play a huge role in helping your child build important communication skills that support their growth and learning.

Here are some simple ways you can support your preschooler at home to greet peers, join conversations, and share about their day — skills that will boost their confidence at school and beyond...

At home, you can help your child practice saying “Hi!” or “Good morning!” with a smile. Try role-playing different greetings—like waving, giving a high five, or making up a fun handshake—with family members, friends, or even toy characters and stuffed animals. This makes greetings feel natural and helps your child feel ready to connect with friends.

Young children often want to join their friends but may not always know how to start a conversation. When your child observes other kids playing—whether in person or through stories—talk with them about ways to join in, such as saying, “Can I play too?”, “What are you playing?”, or “Do you need help?” Practicing these simple phrases at home gives your child confidence and easy tools to jump into group play at school.

Some children might find it tricky to talk about their experiences. You can support them by putting their words into sentences. For example, if they say “blocks,” you can say, “Oh, you played with blocks! What did you build?” If they say “snack,” you might say, “You ate a yummy snack.” or “You ate applesauce for snack.” Using pictures, drawings, or toys can also help children express their thoughts when words are hard to find.

A great way to support your child’s sharing is to use information from the teacher’s daily note or report. For example, if the note mentions a specific activity or friend, you can ask questions like, “I saw you painted today—what did you paint?” or, “Your teacher said you read a story about a bus. Can you tell me about it?” 

Using these details shows your child you’re interested in their day and helps them connect their experiences to your conversations at home.

Remember: Communication is a skill we practice every day! Every conversation you have with your child at home helps them grow confident to speak and play with others at school. Celebrate their efforts, no matter how small, and be patient as they learn. If you ever have questions about your child’s speech and language development, feel free to reach out. We’re here to help!

Libby Wagner is an Early Childhood Mental Health (ECMH) Consultant with the Greene County Educational Service Center and is at Beavercreek Preschool Center every Tuesday through Thursday.

Early Childhood Mental Health Consultants support the social-emotional well-being of young children from birth through age eight. Libby partners with educators, caregivers, and families to strengthen the skills and supports surrounding children, address concerns early, reduce the impact of trauma, and help children build the social-emotional skills they need to be successful in school and beyond.

Libby's support at BPC can take several forms:

Libby is a wonderful resource for our preschool children, families, and staff. Families are welcome to reach out to her with questions, concerns, or for additional support at ewagner@greeneesc.org.

Our preschoolers had a very special visitor who brought the life cycle of the monarch butterfly to life! Our Speech and Language Pathologist, Elizabeth Ulrich, invited her mom, Lisa Ulrich, to BPC to share her love of butterflies with our students.

Lisa's interest in raising butterflies began when her own children were young. After reading about raising butterflies in a children's magazine, she decided to give it a try—and a wonderful hobby began! She has continued raising butterflies over the years and was excited to share her knowledge, passion, and live monarch butterflies with our preschoolers.

Students had the opportunity to see live monarch butterflies and explore each stage of the butterfly life cycle—from tiny eggs on leaves to caterpillars, chrysalises, and beautiful butterflies.

The experience began with a reading of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, complete with a puppet that helped bring the story to life! Students then became little scientists as they used magnifying glasses to take a closer look at butterfly eggs on leaves and observe caterpillars up close.

One of the most exciting moments came when students had the opportunity to get an up-close look at a live monarch butterfly. Using just one gentle finger, children were able to carefully touch the butterfly—a wonderful opportunity to practice being gentle and respectful with living things.

Students also learned some amazing facts about monarch butterflies! The monarchs that migrate in the fall are a special generation that can live for up to nine months—much longer than monarchs born earlier in the year. These incredible butterflies can travel more than 3,000 miles as they migrate south to survive the winter. What an amazing journey for such a small creature!

Experiences like this allow preschoolers to learn through seeing, touching, exploring, asking questions, and making connections between books and the world around them. Along the way, children are building science vocabulary, developing observation skills, learning about life cycles, and discovering the wonder of nature.

A special thank you to Lisa for sharing her butterflies and her love of nature with our preschoolers—and to Elizabeth for bringing her mom and this wonderful experience to BPC! We loved watching our students become curious little scientists and butterfly experts!

September is Deaf Awareness Month, a time to celebrate Deaf culture, increase understanding of the experiences of people who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing, and promote inclusion and accessible communication.

Preschool is a wonderful time for children to begin learning that people experience and communicate with the world in many different ways. Some people hear differently, some use hearing aids or cochlear implants, and some communicate using American Sign Language (ASL) or other forms of communication. Most importantly, children can learn that differences are a natural and valuable part of our community.

Communication and connection are important parts of every child's development. For children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing, having early access to communication and appropriate supports can have a significant impact on language, social-emotional development, learning, and future success.

Deaf Awareness Month also gives us an opportunity to help all children develop empathy, understanding, and respect for others. Preschoolers are naturally curious about differences, and we can teach them that it is okay to notice and ask questions while always treating others with kindness and respect.

At preschool, our goal is to create an environment where every child can participate, communicate, learn, and feel like an important part of the classroom community.

Teachers and staff may support children by:

You may notice a new Incident/Injury Report being sent to you when your child becomes ill or has an injury at preschool. This report is now a requirement from the Department of Children and Youth (DCY) for school based preschools and must be completed when “a child becomes ill or receives an injury which requires first aid treatment.”

Because of this requirement, a report may be completed for something as simple as:

Please don't be alarmed if you receive one of these reports! In many cases, it may be documenting a very minor incident. We simply want families to understand why they may begin seeing these forms more frequently.

DCY requires these reports to be provided to families the same day as the incident and also maintained at school. To meet this requirement, parents will receive a photo of the completed report on the day of the incident. If you would like a paper copy, you may request one and we will send it home the following school day.