| It's probably the first thing you notice walking into | | | | In such situations, children need to know that the |
| a preschool room: the area where children store | | | | locker is their own special place for their very |
| their coats and other supplies. Usually these | | | | own things. For children who are insecure, security |
| lockers are open and are small enough that | | | | items such as special toys or blankets can be |
| children are able to hang up their own coats and | | | | stored in the locker where they are accessible |
| put their own things away. School lockers serve | | | | when the child needs them. Of course, preschool |
| many purposes in a preschool program. Not only | | | | children cannot be counted upon to remember to |
| are they a place where children store their | | | | tell their parents about important papers such as |
| belongings, but they also can support literacy | | | | field trip permission slips. Teachers can place |
| development, give children a sense of security, | | | | papers that need to go home with a child in the |
| and keep the preschool tidy and well-organized. | | | | child's lockers and parents can be instructed to |
| The locker is a repository for everything that | | | | check the locker for papers and such when they |
| belongs to an individual child. | | | | pick up their children. |
| For example, it is a great place to store extra | | | | Also, a child's artwork that is ready to go home |
| clothing the school should have on hand in case a | | | | can be stored in the locker until parents pick it up. |
| child has an accident or somehow gets messy. | | | | Each locker could even have a clipboard with |
| Items brought for "show and tell" can also be | | | | notes about upcoming events or things that |
| stored in the child's locker. An extra jacket or | | | | happened that day so parents could have that |
| sweatshirt for the surprising cool day will allow a | | | | information available easily. As children move |
| child to enjoy the outdoors and, of course, can be | | | | through their schooling in elementary, middle, and |
| kept in the child's locker. In order to identify a | | | | high school, they will have lockers. The preschool |
| child's locker, many preschools place the child's | | | | locker helps them to learn basic locker etiquette, |
| name on the locker in large letters. Children | | | | such as respecting another child's ownership of his |
| typically learn to read their own names first and | | | | or her locker. Lockers give children safe places to |
| to recognize the letters in their names. Having the | | | | put their treasures. They give parents and |
| child's name on the locker not only clarifies which | | | | teachers a place to communicate when school |
| locker belongs to whom for preschool staff and | | | | events prevent the possibility of talking together. |
| parents, but it also helps children to develop the | | | | They support children's efforts in learning to read. |
| critical skill of literacy. | | | | And they give children opportunities to take |
| For many children, preschool is their first | | | | responsibility for keeping track of their coats, |
| experience with large groups of other people and | | | | boots, artwork, and other things. |
| with being away from home for a period of time. | | | | |