By Karen Thiel:
I had the great pleasure to observe and train Supporting Child Development at the Paradox Valley Preschool in Paradox, Colorado. The level of commitment to quality education and care displayed by the families, preschool teachers, cafeteria staff, and the principal of the school was humbling. Some of the older children in the school provided the child care for the families who attended the training. The principal also attended the program and authorized the evening meal which was made by the cafeteria staff who stayed late to help. Not only did the cafeteria staff stay late, I overheard someone saying they had made the delicious brownies with a special recipe just for the training!
The level of commitment of all who attended and all who made the training possible is particularly impressive considering the distance that some individuals must travel to and from school to their home. The Paradox Valley Preschool is one room in a small public school that has about 75 students from Pre-K through 12th grade. The school is located in a very remote, very beautiful valley about 75 minutes from Moab, Utah and about 50 minutes from the nearest town of Naturita. Not all the staff and families who attend the school reside in Paradox. Some of the families who send children to the school and some of the teachers who work there live in Naturita, Moab, or in other locations outside of Paradox so for them to attend an evening training shows the level of their commitment to the children in the community.
This training and the response of all who attended has shown me how valuable trainings are to small remote schools and to the children, families, and school staff. It is my hope that more trainings will be offered to schools such as Paradox Valley Preschool. The need is great and the benefits of such trainings are immeasurable.
Below is a picture taken one street away from the school, looking east towards the opening of the valley.
