The 3-year-old program at Great Beginnings Preschool, located inside First Presbyterian Church of Strasburg, has a spring focus on community helpers. This year's program has introduced the students to a wide array of people.

Steph, a dental hygienist from Sunshine Dentistry, kicked off the theme in late February in observance of National Children's Dental Health Month. The children pretended to be teeth as they learned to brush in circles that overlapped their gums, and they each received a free toothbrush.

David Martin, a firefighter in Lancaster city, exhibited the uniform of a firefighter and taught the children to stop, drop, and roll. The children also practiced crawling under a blanket used to represent smoke.

During Police Officer Day, arranged by Officer Dan Davis with the Lancaster Bureau of Police, Mounted Unit Officers McDonald and Detwiler introduced the students to their horses, Ozzy and Jake, and the children met Officer Parr and his canine partner, Theo. The preschoolers toured a regular police cruiser and the K-9 vehicle to see the differences. They also heard the sirens and saw the flashing lights.

On another day, Dr. Maia Hazen-Moyer, an eye doctor, showed the students eye charts with progressively smaller symbols and images that check for color blindness. She facilitated games of "pin the eye on the monster" and "eyeball" spoon races.

The children enjoyed a longer than usual visit with First Presbyterian's pastor Bob Bronkema, who helped each child ring the church's bell, which is original to the church.

Amanda Spealman, elementary school librarian for Lampeter and Hans Herr elementary schools, brought Susquehanna Service Dog Gabby to visit the children. Gabby showed off her tricks, and Spealman read a new book to the students.

The community helper program wrapped up with a visit from Andrea Lutz, a clinical nurse educator who works primarily in brain health, and her sister, Jaime Sheaffer, a former nurse. They talked about where nurses work and how to stay healthy, and they distributed decorative bandages, first aid supplies, and stickers.

Heather Reynolds, one of the two teachers for this age level, created a book about these community helpers for each of the students.

Great Beginnings Preschool has openings in its 3-year-old program and in the prekindergarten program for the 2022-23 school year. For more information, contact the registrar, Lynn, at 717-687-6082.