April 23, 2012

School of Ed to host 40-plus kids on city’s Pre-K at Play Day

Johns Hopkins’ School of Education will host more than 40 students from Samuel Morse Elementary School in West Baltimore for Baltimore City Public Schools’ second annual Pre-K at Play Day, to be held from 10 a.m. to noon on Thursday, April 26. Pre-K students will participate in a variety of interactive activities offered by the university’s School of Education, Whiting School of Engineering, Peabody Institute and, new this year, School of Nursing.

Referring to the program’s inaugural effort, Charlene Iannone-Campbell, director of early learning for city schools, said, “These activities provided children with firsthand experiences they would otherwise only have encountered through books or television. This initiative,” she said, “furthers [Baltimore schools’ chief] Dr. [Andres] Alonso’s initiative of student engagement and strengthening students’ prior knowledge by exposing them to new cultural, historical, scientific, educational and artistic experiences.”

Last year, more than 5,000 pre-K students participated in the citywide program. Students visited 40 institutions including the Maryland Science Center, Port Discovery and Living Classrooms.