New Horizons Teacher Takes Pride in Watching Program Grow

When Batavia Park District’s New Horizons Preschool began in 1996, there were two teachers, two assistants and 45 students enrolled.

This fall, as the preschool kicks off its 16th year, New Horizons has grown to include six teachers and five assistants and can accommodate up to 170 students.

“I am very proud to have been a witness to the growth of the New Horizons Preschool program,” said New Horizons teacher Kaylee Gallagher who helped start the preschool program in 1996. “New Horizons has expanded along with the local population as the need for additional preschool programs in the area has increased.”

The New Horizons program is based on the philosophy that children learn more through play. The curriculum is active and experimental so it focuses on hands-on activities. Children learn to follow directions and work as a team. Staff work together to provide a safe and happy environment where students are encouraged to think independently, be creative and freely explore in a structured environment.

During the early years of the preschool, Gallagher taught the 3- and 4-year-old classes. She later created a pre-kindergarten program and has spent the past 10 years teaching in the Pre-K class. She has a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Illinois State University with minors in Early Childhood and Early Childhood Special Education.

Gallagher said her years at New Horizons have been gratifying on a personal and professional level.

“The Batavia community, the New Horizons staff, and the parents and children I’ve met through working at New Horizons are the reasons I enjoy what I do,” she said. “I feel that what we do at New Horizons is an integral part of the community.”

Gallagher has been active in early childhood education for the past 20 years and keeps up to date on current education practices for young children. She attends multiple conferences each year representing New Horizons Preschool and Batavia Park District.

Continuing her education allows Gallagher to keep the curriculum at New Horizons fresh and exciting.

“We encourage development of the whole child including social, emotional, intellectual and physical,” she said. “Our program emphasizes social skills, literacy, fine and gross motor skills as well as including music, math and science activities.”

To learn more about New Horizons or to arrange a tour, call Gail Zwaska, preschool supervisor, at (630) 406-5282 or visit www.bataviaparks.org.