FARMINGTON – Starting in September, the University of Maine at Farmington will offer a new prekindergarten program for children in the community.

Offered by the University’s Early Childhood Education program, the new prekindergarten program joins the UMF Nursery School program to meet a need in the community and to enhance training experiences of UMF education majors.

The programs will be in the UMF Nursery School, on the bottom floor of UMF’s Ricker Addition building. Openings are now available for both programs.

The prekindergarten program is intended to serve as a transition between preschool and kindergarten. It will provide developmentally appropriate early childhood education for 4- and 5-year-olds, five mornings a week from 8:30 to 11 a.m. during the school year. To be eligible, a child must be 4 by Oct. 15, 2004. The cost is $55 per week.

The UMF Nursery School program is a play-based, early educational experience for 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds, based on developmentally appropriate practice. Children will attend Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 to 3:30 p.m. during the school year. The two afternoon sessions allow children an introduction to a group setting. To be eligible, a child must be 3 by Sept. 1, 2004, and be toilet-trained. The cost is $22 per week. Both programs serve as lab settings for UMF students, where best teaching practices are taught and demonstrated by on-site UMF faculty instructors.

To register or for more information, contact Wendy Oakley, UMF head nursery school teacher and director of the programs, at 778-7197.