Photograph by George Sakkestad
Dad Ted Johnston cooks up a project with Josephine Aureau and Marci Johnston at the Sunnyvale Parent Preschool, where parents are involved in every aspect of running the operation.
By KATHERINE PETERSEN
As a stay-at-home dad, Ted Johnston has time to work in the classrooms with his daughter at Sunnyvale Parent Preschool. He took the full-time father role after being laid off from his electronics job a few years ago.
Other dads, like Doug Campa, who is a San Jose police officer, arrange their schedules so they can participate in classroom activities. This year, there is at least one father in each of the classes for 2-, 3- and 4-year-olds.
There's a reason for the word in the middle of Sunnyvale Parent Preschool's name.
"We run it from soup to nuts," said parent Arielle Hendel, who lives in Sunnyvale and is president of the school's board of directors. "We handle investments, purchase and fix toys and other materials, maintain the building and anything else that needs to be done."
About 60 kids attend the preschool, which employs three teachers and a director.
While the majority of parents who spend time in the classrooms are mothers, having fathers involved makes it a special environment for the kids, Hendel says.
Johnston, who represents the 2-year-old class on the board, is in charge of scheduling parents' time in the classroom.
"I'm in a little deeper than some parents. It's a lot of work, but the kids have a lot of fun," he says.
He enjoys having the opportunity to see his daughter, Marci, 2, learn and play. If he wasn't with her at school, he would have nothing to do, he says.
"I have an unbelievable bond with Marci. I'm really fortunate. We get up, have breakfast and run errands just like all the other moms. I'll even trade coupons if you've got a good one," he jokes.
While in the classroom, Johnston helps the children dress up in costumes, finger-paint and work on puzzles. On the playground, he picks them up if they fall off the jungle gym.
"We're learning too. The teachers help us become better parents and understand our children," he says.
Campa wanted his 4-year-old, Dominic, to attend the Sunnyvale Parent Preschool because he thought his son might have trouble going to a school by himself.
"Having me there made it easier for him. Now, he knows I'll be back to pick him up. My whole intention is to have a strong relationship with him," Campa said.
Campa doesn't see participating in the classroom as work. "I like to watch him interact with other children and see how I'm doing as a parent," he said.
Mark Sawdon, a stay-at-home dad who lives in Santa Clara, enjoys watching his son's growth and development happen right before his eyes. Sawdon feels good that his son can go to other parents for comfort. Once, he heard his 2-year-old, Jeffrey, crying in another room because he'd been hit.
"I peeked around the corner and saw another father comforting him," he said.
The moms may have a little more difficulty accepting the dads in the classroom, but Sawdon says it's getting better.
"They'll still sometimes use the terminology of 'we moms' instead of 'we parents,' " he said.
The preschool is partially funded by the Fremont Union High School District.
The school will hold an open house Feb. 8, and parents can visit the school during class throughout the following week. For more information, call 736-8043.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, February 5, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.