Republic Schools
Early Childhood--Elementary I--Elementary II
Elementary III--Middle School--High School
Newsletters

A Message From the Principal



 Carol Lohkamp
Hello, and welcome to EC!

The Republic R-III Early Childhood Center opened on January 2, 2000, and was designed specifically for the district’s youngest children and their families. EC houses the Parents as Teachers program, nine preschool classes, sixteen kindergarten classes, and two daycare classes. EC is unique because it was built with young children in mind. It has child-sized bathroom fixtures, low shelving, and carpeted rooms. I believe that these special design features help students transition into attending a formal school setting with a minimum of stress and encourage them to develop independence.

The Parents as Teachers program currently serves over 500 families with children ranging from birth to five years of age.  The PAT activities include teen parenting classes, infant/toddler play times, story times, “Cubs Club” parent/child activity times for preschoolers, and home visits. Families with young children may enroll in PAT by phoning 732-3670 x 7015.

The Republic Preschool program has been awarded Missouri Accreditation and has expanded to a ninth session.  This very successful program now serves 185 children in morning and afternoon classes.  Selected as one of only 84 school districts in the state to receive the original Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Missouri Preschool Project grant award, the Republic Preschool is recognized as a model program in Southwest Missouri.

A Young Child with Developmental Delays (formerly ECSE) preschool class and a Transition Kindergarten are implemented by the Greene County Special Education Cooperative and are also located at the Early Childhood Center.  Through this collaboration with the Greene County Special Education Cooperative, students participate in many integration activities and have access to speech services, occupational therapy services, and physical therapy services beginning as young as age three.

 EC currently has sixteen sections of kindergarten with an average of 22 students per class.  The kindergarten classes are full day and follow the child-centered philosophies of Project Construct.  The kindergarten Communication Arts program uses the Building Blocks program to teach reading and writing skills in relation to one another. This has resulted in the children learning to read at a much quicker rate and dramatically increased their writing skills. The math series, Growing with Mathematics, will be implemented fully this year. A pilot program last year demonstrated impressive student achievement results!

EC has also been named as the demonstration site in Southwest Missouri for Project Construct. The EC teachers use the Project Construct philosophy to organize the classroom environment into learning centers filled with interesting materials and activities designed to spark the children’s sense of curiosity and get them started on the path to discovering mathematical, literacy, scientific, and community knowledge. 

            All of these programs function together to create an environment at the Early Childhood Center which encourages and respects each child’s unique contribution to our community.  The EC administration, faculty, and staff all strive to work collaboratively with the students and their families to ensure that together we can
“…encourage Each Child’s potential.”