PHEBE ANNA THORNE KINDERGARTEN DEDICATED AT RECEPTION

A reception and dedication in early October honored donors who helped fund the renovation of a 19th-century farmhouse on the Haverford College campus, now the site of the Phebe Anna Thorne Kindergarten. Bryn Mawr President Nancy J. Vickers, Phebe Anna Thorne Director Marilyn Henkelman and Professor and Chair of Psychology Leslie Rescorla, who directs the Bryn Mawr Department of Psychology's early-childhood programs and serves as a psychological consultant to the Thorne School, welcomed guests to the new facility.

Prominent retired child psychiatrist Rocco Motto, a major donor to the project, offered remarks, recalling his own experience in kindergarten some 82 years ago. What he learned there about accepting differences, Motto said, later became the foundation of his own career. Many donors made gifts to the kindergarten in honor of others; portraits of these individuals, framed with brief biographies, were presented at the reception.

The opening of the Thorne kindergarten extends the 50-year-old Thorne School's developmentally oriented, child-centered program, which had previously served three- and four-year-olds. It offers a traditional kindergarten program as well as a language-enrichment program for preschoolers with special needs. Lead teachers who are certified in early childhood education are assisted by Bryn Mawr and Haverford College undergraduates.

Rescorla cites the Thorne School's expansion as an example of Bi-College cooperation that will offer more learning opportunities for students of both colleges. Because the new kindergarten is located on the Haverford campus, Rescorla hopes it will make it easier for qualified Haverford students who are interested in early-childhood education and psychology to work with children. According to Henkelman, three Haverford students are already observing at the kindergarten.

The renovations to the house created two classroom spaces on each floor, in addition to bathrooms, a small kitchen and an office. The second-floor classroom, used for the language-enrichment program, includes a loft for quiet activities for the children. The facility has both an indoor playroom and a playground that is open for use by the surrounding community during nonschool hours.

Parents who are interested in enrolling children next year can learn more by calling Henkelman at 610-645-0204.

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