Award-winning teacher provides glimpse into Head Start classroom

  Gayle Castricone, a teacher with Head Start, is a master multitasker. She has to be.

  On Wednesday, for example, she had to juggle Hope's first day acclimating to a classroom setting with Omar's playful antics and an incident involving an airborne toy dinosaur that caused two sore heads.

  Aida Galaviz, a fellow teacher, is there to help with the 20 kids in class, but there are no additional volunteers. That does not frustrate Castricone, though.

  She says she has "always had a passion and love for children" and is working to make sure the children in her Head Start classes have so much security and confidence that they always want to be in school.

  Head Start is a national program that socially and emotionally equips children from low-income families and broken homes for further education, she says.

  Robby Nuckols, program specialist at the Rancho Viejo Head Start in Yuma, says that their site alone accommodates 140 families with their holistic approach to early childhood education and care.

  Castricone has worked at Rancho Viejo Head Start since September 2000. She owned her own dog-grooming company and a day-care service before returning to school to get her associate's degree in family and consumer sciences and an accreditation in early childhood education.

  Though she started teaching later in life, Castricone has already earned the first Award for Teacher Excellence from the Yuma County Association for the Education of Young Children.

  Castricone says that the children attending her class have often never been away from a family setting for any substantial length of time.

  Acclimating these children to that separation is often one of the greatest challenges for a teacher, according to Castricone, though it would be difficult to tell it just by watching Hope.

  Castricone says that both her parents and a grandparent arrived at school on Wednesday morning prepared for a difficult goodbye, only to discover that they were the ones having difficulty parting with eager Hope.

  "She's doing great," Castricone says.

  Another student, Kylena, is in a separate class from her twin sister and is having a difficult time being away from her, according to Castricone. "But in another week or two she'll be all smiles."

  Growing up, Castricone says, her favorite teacher and inspiration was a male teacher she had in fourth grade who was always kind and patient with her. She also says her favorite subject in school was always music because the repetition and hands-on nature appealed to her and made learning that much easier.

  It's no surprise then to witness Castricone's own patient and gentle nature in the classroom and her eagerness to incorporate music into standard curriculum.

  While the curriculum is similar to many preschool programs, she says there are also extra activities that set it apart. For example, according to Castricone, the children are served two family-style meals a day and are required to help set the table and serve themselves.

  Castricone also says bilingual instruction is used to familiarize both English- and Spanish-speaking students with different languages.

  "The best part for me is seeing the children's learning process and their creativity."

  Head Start is a "jump-start for children," she says.

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Erin Orozco can be reached at eorozco@yumasun.com or 539-6849.