Master Gardeners Visit Local Preschool

A group of Master Gardeners under the leadership of Claudia Kunath recently continued their education program at the Little Sprouts Early Learning Center with a presentation about the season of autumn. “Our goal with this presentation was to focus on the season of fall and what happens to trees and seeds,” explained Claudia Kunath, the Team Leader for the Master Gardeners for Little Sprouts. The group staged a story complete with puppets and props, and then set up stations for crafts and further examination of seeds and fall foliage. “We had the children look at the different aspects of seeds, pods and seed heads. We sorted seeds, ate some seeds and had them make things from seeds. A lot of us have experience with teaching and we just love working with the kids.”

Spearheaded by Master Gardener Claudia Kunath, a group of eleven women visit the childcare and preschool center regularly, offering educational presentations, hands-on learning activities and advice about nutrition to the children, who range in age from 2 – 6. The New Jersey Master Gardeners are trained volunteers who assist the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Cooperative Extension in its mission to deliver horticulture programs and information to the general public.

“The Master Gardeners program at the Little Sprouts Early Learning Center is a wonderful example of an educational program which will have benefits for years to come,” remarked Deborah Berry-Toon, Executive Director of Project Self-Sufficiency, the non-profit agency which oversees the Little Sprouts Early Learning Center. “We are very grateful to the volunteers who take time out of their busy schedule to create this dynamic learning experience for our students.”

The Master Gardeners who are involved with the education program at the Little Sprouts Early Learning Center include Ann Bain, Maureen Blandino, Andrea Clark, Mary Kissane, Marge Klein, Marie Nazzaro, Cynthia Rauth, Karen Shulte, Vicky Turner, and Bonnie White.

The Little Sprouts Early Learning Center is located on the Project Self-Sufficiency campus at 127 Mill Street in Newton. The childcare center offers space for 83 youngsters, ages 6 weeks to 6 years, and accepts all types of subsidized daycare assistance. Slots for new students are available. For more information visit the center’s website www.littlesproutsearlylearningcenter.org or call 973-940-3540.
To learn more about the programs and services offered at Project Self-Sufficiency, visit www.projectselfsufficiency.org or call 973-940-3500.