Dr. Ferrell Miller
Junction City Breakfast Optimist Club
Stephanie Waterman, USD 475’s Principal and Coordinator of the Early Childhood Program, was the guest speaker at the September 18 meeting of the JC Breakfast Optimist Club, which was held in Jim Clark’s Chevrolet showroom.
Mrs. Waterman has worked in USD 475 since 2002 when she began as a Kindergarten teacher. This is now my “dream job”, she said. Stephanie and her staff work with between 700 and 800 children ages 3 through 5 years to prepare them for Kindergarten. Classrooms for the young learners are in Junction City and on Fort Riley, which include provisions for special needs students and students who are English Language Learners.
There is one class at Junction City High School, which is used as a Pre-K Lab. High school students work under the supervision of a certified teacher to also prepare the “Little Jays” for kindergarten. “The students are taught by Kansas Department of Education Certified Teachers. It is great to have this partnership with the JCHS. Our kiddos get learn how to get along with others, develop their fine motor skills, and develop an interest in learning. They even have opportunities to visit the band and orchestra rooms to see and hear a live performance on a cello (other instruments) or a group.”
A facility to house all of the Early Childhood Program in one building has been a goal and will soon be reached. Research, visits to other Early Childhood Centers in Kansas, design and development in preparation for a new Early Childhood Center has been taking place to create a building to house over 32 classrooms. Groundbreaking for the new facility will be held October 11 with a completion date for the 2026 school year.