With the first half of the school year under its belt, Greenport Elementary School will be holding an open house for its preschool program on Jan. 24 at 11:45 a.m. in the school’s auditorium.

The open house is geared toward prospective parents and is open to students from all area school districts. The 4-year-old program is currently in its first year and is run by SCOPE Education Services with cooperation from the Greenport School District. This year’s class has 11 students, primarily from the Greenport School District.

Children enrolled in the program attend class in the elementary school and have access to everything from the nurse to the playground to the home economics room. Students have the opportunity to participate in assemblies and programs with the rest of the elementary school.

Greenport Elementary School Principal Joe Tsaveras said he is happy with the results of the program.

“The students are learning while having fun," he said. "Some of our students are at the beginning stage of reading. The teachers are outstanding, enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the subject matter."

Since Greenport has revamped its elementary curriculum this school year to the Response To Intervention (RTI) model, Tsaveras said it is important to have children in a structured program to help with the transition to kindergarten.

Tsaveras said each child’s social, emotional, motor and cognitive growth is addressed through creative expression, reading readiness, math, arts and crafts, science, music, and dance. The current curriculum is aligned with the New York State learning standards, but Tsaveras said he hopes the curriculum will follow the rest of the elementary school and align with the new New York State common core standards.

Parent Laura Hoch said she has seen her son thrive in the program and is satisfied with the curriculum. She said she believes her son will be better prepared for kindergarten based on the practice he’s received in the SCOPE program.

“The SCOPE teachers focused on a curriculum based program that highlighted skill building and problem solving,” Hoch said.

Hoch, who also has a second-grade student at Greenport, said she has seen how the program has had a positive influence on her son.

“I think my son has come far in his development in this program, and it seems like he will be more ready for elementary school as a result,” Hoch said.

To accommodate parents dropping off older children, this year’s program runs from 8:45 until 11:15 a.m. Next year, the school would be willing to run the program in the morning and in the afternoon, depending upon enrollment. As the program is not district run, the current cost for students is $250 a month.

“This program offers an exciting opportunity for students to discover, create, and build upon their natural curiosity,” Tsaveras said.