Welcome Center

The Welcome Center was created to help our families who speak a language other than English, so they feel comfortable and successful in our community. Bilingual staff members improve communication between parents and schools through translation and interpretive services.

Moreover, the Welcome Center conducts assessments to determine student placement in ELL programs (English Language Learners). Among other things, the Center informs families about local aid agencies, provides assistance and guidance to new families in the school district, offers services under the Migrant Education program, and coordinates classes, parent meetings, and other events.

Services

FOR PARENTS AND STUDENTS:

Translation Services
Email translation requests to
Welcome.Center@albany.k12.or.us

Interpretation Services
Email interpretation requests to
Welcome.Center@albany.k12.or.us

*Translation = Written content
*Interpretation = Spoken language in real-time

FOR STAFF:

To request translation or interpretation services, please follow these steps:

If your school has Bilingual Assistants, please email them your translation requests. The Bilingual Assistant will then email our District Translator for proofreading.

If your school does not have a Bilingual Assistant, email GAPS.Translation@albany.k12.or.us with your translation request, and when translation is needed, please allow at least 2-3 days per translation, depending on size.

For Event Interpretation, please fill out this form and attach it in an email to the address above. Event Interpretation forms must be completed and approved 30 days before the event.

*Translation = Written content
*Interpretation = Spoken language in real-time

Additional Resources
Language Line PDF.

Juntos/ Together Program

Free 10-week class for parents or caregivers and children ages 0 to 5 years old.

Workshops available:

Live and Learn with your baby (0-2 years) – Learn best practices on parenting topics around child care and development topics, including sleep times, when to start solid foods, self-care, and much more.

Creative Development (3-5 years) – Parents or caregivers and children ages 3-5 will participate in creative music, storytelling, movement, and dramatic play.

Together (0-5 years) – This program focuses on learning, reading, playing, and growing together. For children 0-5 years of age accompanied by their parents or childcare providers. They learn reading skills to prepare children for kindergarten.

Live and Learn Discovery Lab (3-5 years) – Parents/ caregivers and their children, ages 3 to 5, immerse themselves in activities designed to develop a sense of natural wonder and desire to explore. Participants will measure, build, experiment, solve problems, and discover the world together.

To enroll, call the Welcome Center at 541-704-2376 or text Leonor at 508-470-1627

ALL CLASSES ARE TAUGHT IN SPANISH
Only for residents of the following GAPS elementary school boundaries:
- Central
- Lafayette
- South Shore
- Sunrise
- Takena
- Tangent
- Waverly

GAPS Child Development Program

Greater Albany Public Schools supports the social, emotional, and academic development of all of the three to five-year-old children in its preschool programs by fostering their innate capabilities and unlimited curiosity in the classroom, in the community, and within the larger world. GAPS Child Development Programs are free of cost.

Background

In the summer of 2020, Greater Albany Public Schools earned a Preschool Promise grant from the State of Oregon’s Early Learning Division. Governor Brown’s Student Success Act directed a portion of the funds to support a publicly-funded, high quality preschool system in Oregon called Preschool Promise. GAPS is using this grant funding, plus SIA funds, for continued operations of the South Shore, Sunrise, Tangent, and Waverly Child Development Programs.

Philosophy

The child development programs in Greater Albany Public Schools follow an Inquiry-Based Approach to Teaching and Learning. Inspired by the philosophies of Reggio-Emilia, staff believe a teacher’s role is to facilitate learning by setting up engaging opportunities for all children to think, predict, wonder, and imagine. Using the natural sciences and expressive arts as particular subjects of inspiration, staff offer open-ended questions, intriguing dilemmas, and beautiful environments so that young children may take ownership of their learning as they make discoveries, find meaning, and uncover possibilities. Preschool staff believe in supporting the family, and developing partnerships within the larger community, so that children may grow up in the most nurturing and engaging environment possible.

Program Goals

The Five Habits of Mind inform the central goals of the district’s child development programs. Staff create opportunities for children in which they learn to:

Focus attention to pursue an interest, gratify curiosity, respond to challenge, try out ideas
Communicate ideas and emotions clearly and appropriately
Make connections, note relationships and organize items based on observed details
Collaborate with others to accomplish a shared goal
Think strategically, creatively, reflectively to follow an interest or tackle a challenge

Sample Daily Schedule

Time	Activities
7:50am	Arrival: backpacks, handwashing, and optional exercise
8:00am	Breakfast: community table conversations
8:15am	Name recognition/writing; time with text
8:30am	Gathering time on carpet
9:30am	Discovery time
10:30am	Clean up and outdoor play
11:00am	Gathering time on carpet
12:30pm	Lunch and outdoor play
1:15-2:30pm	Music and movement, snack, and dismissal

Enrollment Information

The preschool slots available at the South Shore, Sunrise, and Waverly Child Development Programs are for income-eligible families. For these slots, families enroll through the Early Learning Hub. Application forms can be found HERE. The Tangent Child Development Program is currently not a Preschool Promise site.

Spark