Above: Sydney Shrable plays with a couple of children at Wee Care Child Enrichment Center (WCCEC) in Highland. Shrable has been hired as the Director of Children’s Services for Network of Community Options, Inc. (NCO).
By Andrea Bruner
Sydney Shrable is a firm believer in preschool. She sees the benefits every day as the new Director of Children’s Services for Network of Community Options, Inc.
Born and raised in Melbourne, Shrable said there wasn’t a time she didn’t want to be a teacher. In fact, she said, she was the little girl pretending to be a mom to her baby dolls.
“Growing up, that is what I always wanted to do. I love kids and have four of my own,” she said. “I really like the younger kids.”
After her high school graduation, Shrable said she attended Arkansas State University at Mountain Home and earned her early education degree in 2017.
While she was in college, she worked at Kidspiration in Melbourne and toyed briefly with becoming an occupational therapist, but her love of children won out, and she continued with her education degree.
She became a preschool teacher and assistant director at Bearkatz Academy, the preschool at Melbourne School District.
After a few years, Shrable went to work at the Department of Human Services as a program eligibility specialist, where she still worked with families, but said she was drawn to working at a preschool. Then the job came open at Wee Care Day Care and Wee Care Child Enrichment Center, both in Highland.
Shrable and her fiancé, Matt Adams, who works for the Arkansas Department of Correction at Calico Rock, have four kids of their own: Matty, 14; Blakely, 10; Emersyn, almost 3; and Rhett, 1.
Shrable said she is a strong advocate for preschool.
“I feel like every kid should go to preschool because kindergarten expects so much out of them. I feel like if they are not in preschool, they’re thrown into kindergarten, into the big world,” she said.
Preschool not only teaches the basics such as ABC’s, but it also provides structure, such as teaching students how to line up, sit quietly and listen to their teachers, as well as socialization skills, emotional development skills, and communication skills.
One thing about preschool, Shrable said, is there is not a “typical” day. For instance, winter can bring a lot of absences due to illness, but things can still be chaotic. Shrable and the staff strive to bring structure and routine to the students’ schedules.
“Every day is different, but I try to be hands-on in the classroom as much as I can because I know what it’s like to be in a classroom,” she said. “If I hear a baby crying, I’ll step in and help in there. There are days I’ll go in so the teachers can take a break or go to lunch, stay late if somebody is out, that sort of thing.”
In the meantime, she said she’s still learning the director side of things, as there are countless rules and regulations when it comes to early childhood.
“I never worked with the EIDT program before, so that’s new,” she said, referring to the Early Intervention Day Treatment program that ensures children with the highest needs can access proper services.
Both Wee Care sites are EIDT providers.
With two sites, Shrable said she aims to split her time between them, checking on each building throughout the day.
“I like the paperwork side of things, but I also love being able to see the kids still every day,” she said. “I do really love it. I’m so glad to have the opportunity to work here.”
WCCEC is located at 1693 Highway 62-412 and serves children ages 0-3. Its sister site, Wee Care Day Care & Learning Center at 1647 Highway 62-412, has classrooms for ages 3-5. For more information about either daycare, call Shrable at (870) 834-9878 or Lisa Pinkston, NCO’s executive director, at (870) 612-5900 ext. 101.
