Kristie Cerling, chairwoman of the teacher education department at Bethel College, stands in the department’s laboratory classroom. Tribune Photo/SANTIAGO FLORES
MISHAWAKA — A new partnership between Bethel College and School City of Mishawaka will offer unique educational experiences for both teaching majors at the college and a group of Mishawaka kindergartners.
Beginning next school year, a kindergarten class from Mishawaka will be taught in Bethel’s laboratory classroom, a space that was retrofitted with a child-sized bathroom and drinking fountain and other features, including a one-way viewing window, so it can serve the dual purpose of being used as a real kindergarten classroom and a learning lab for Bethel education majors.
Mishawaka schools will pay for the kindergarten teacher and teacher’s assistant, along with classroom furniture and computers and a lunch and breakfast program. Bethel will provide the classroom space and some materials. Both Bethel and Mishawaka schools will share in costs related to security, liability insurance and installation of a small playground for the kindergartners that will be connected to the classroom.
Bruce Stahly, Mishawaka schools’ interim assistant superintendent for business services, said the partnership, by way of state tuition support that each kindergartner will bring in, will be cost neutral.
Mishawaka’s school board approved a three-year agreement with Bethel at Tuesday evening's meeting.
A Bethel official and administrators and board members from Mishawaka schools all say the partnership provides advantages for both organizations.
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