New kitchen part of remodeling at Giant Step center

RANGELY I Giant Step Preschool and Child Care Center has a new look.
Thanks to funding from the Rio Blanco County Department of Social Services, improvements have been made to the Giant Step building at 246 E. Main, with the remodeled kitchen being the highlight of the project.
Giant Step is a not-for-profit preschool (ages 3-kindergarten) and childcare center (ages 2-12). The hours of operation for the childcare center are 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
“The community owns it,” said Kari Way, director. “It’s the only licensed childcare center in Rangely.”
Giant Step recently announced preschool hours beginning Sept. 1 through May 21, for either a Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule, or Tuesday/Thursday.
“Everybody thinks preschool is reading, writing, saying the alphabet. It’s a lot more than that,” Way said. “Social-emotional development is important. Without that, you can’t learn.”
Giant Step offers Creative Curriculum, which is aligned with Colorado State Standards. Giant Step also has a Qualistar rating, which measures learning in licensed early learning program. The emphasis at Giant Step is on social-emotional development: Children learn to manage their own feelings, complete tasks, learn responsibility for the classroom, and learn to follow rules from others, Way said.

She went on to say, “Research and theory proves that children learn best through play. Children learn how to make sense of their environment through engaged, sustained, purposeful play. Development cannot be hastened; developmental skills need to be mastered before moving to the next level. Children need experiences in a safe, supportive, stimulating environment and have access to adults who are caring, nurturing, and believe in them. Children need to have opportunities to develop self-control, develop self competence, and be exposed to experiences that help them become successful learners in higher levels of academic content.”
Way told the story of a parent, who is relocating from Denver.
“She said, ‘This place has far exceeded my expectations. It’s nicer than most of the places I’ve seen in Denver,’” Way said.
Visitors and parents are welcome to visit Giant Step and check out the improvements, Way said.