When Rahma Sheikhyusuf (‘18) walked her four-year-old PreK class through the halls of Forest Hills Elementary last spring, they passed a group of fifth graders.

“They’re so big,” her students said in awe. It’s been a few years since Eden Prairie Schools PreK students moved from the Community Education building to their neighborhood elementary schools, but for each new class of a school’s youngest students, it’s still an exciting surprise to see the older kids. “You’ll be one of them sooner than you know it,” Sheikhyusuf said. 

In the five years she’s been working for Eden Prairie Schools, Sheikhyusuf has seen her share of both PreK classes moving onto kindergarten and three-year-old Little Eagles preschoolers making the exciting jump to PreK. There’s something deeply valuable about what young students learn in those transitional years. And to make the most of it, teachers and staff across Eden Prairie Schools work together to set up each child for success.

How do we define success for three- and four-year-olds? “Preparing each child for their future in a welcoming environment that fosters a love of learning” is how Jill Lorang (‘06), early childhood lead, describes it. In the early years, helping children learn how to collaborate with each other, process their emotions and form relationships is just as important to long-term success as numbers and the alphabet. “It is really the foundation,” Lorang explained. “It is great to watch students begin to advocate for themselves and grow their independence as the year progresses!”

Lorang has supported Eden Prairie’s youngest learners for close to 10 years, starting as a Little Eagles teacher. For all Little Eagles, including three-year-old preschool students, an environment where students see themselves reflected inside the classroom is crucial to their sense of belonging. “I feel like every kid now is able to find somebody that they can look at and see a part of themselves in, which is really exciting,” said Sheikhyusuf. Recently, Little Eagles preschool teachers received a grant through the Foundation for Eden Prairie Schools to further translate that sense of belonging to classroom materials: additional baby dolls, wooden people and board games featuring people from different backgrounds and ethnicities. “We’ve really been striving to make sure every child feels like they belong and they’re valued and welcome,” Lorang said.

Now, Lorang mentors teachers like Sheikhyusuf, advising on ways to reach each child. Like in elementary school, a child’s previous-year teacher can provide insights into strengths and opportunities for growth, then collaborate with the next year’s teacher to best support the student on their unique 

journey. In those conversations, staff discuss a student’s progress in key areas like problem solving, partner play, emotional awareness and replicating positive behaviors modeled by teachers and paraprofessionals. These insights are especially important during those initial weeks of a student’s transition from one grade level to the next. 

While the move from preschool to PreK can bring its own challenges, a supportive network of staff eases the transition. Since 2021, when the PreK program moved into elementary schools as part of the district’s previous 10-year academic vision called “Designing Pathways,” Little Eagles teachers have traveled to elementary schools to welcome their former students off the buses on the first day. PreK staff send pictures of students home to families and help students meet expectations in those first few weeks of school.

By the end of the year, PreK students exceed those expectations. On a recent Wednesday morning, Sheikhyusuf told her PreK students it was time to shift from individual playtime to their morning meeting. She called out: “One, two, three, eyes on me!” Students responded with an excited “One, two, eyes on you!” and listened as Sheikhyusuf asked them to make their way to the group carpet in a cozy corner of the classroom. On the wall was a schedule for the day, a list of class jobs, and a chart of feelings grouped into colors. It was a morning of individual choice and practice following expectations — and it was done in the same building where these students would go on to attend kindergarten through fifth grade. 

Moving PreK classes to neighborhood elementary schools has made the adjustment period for incoming kindergarten students much easier. “It gets them ready and comfortable with their surroundings… because that’s the building they’ll be in until middle school,” Sheikhyusuf said. 

Lorang agrees. “They’re being exposed to the playground that they’ll be at for a few years, they are in the lunchroom. They’re learning those schoolwide procedures,” she affirmed. “They know what to expect, they meet their principal, they meet office staff. So it’s a great thing.”

Just down the hall from Sheikhyusuf’s classroom is where Allen Lundberg teaches kindergarten. He’s been at Forest Hills for 22 years, almost all of which have been spent teaching kindergarten students. “Seeing the growth that each of the students go through... that’s the thing I enjoy the most about kindergarten,” he said. Ultimately, he explained, a key advantage of students moving through Little Eagles to PreK and kindergarten is information teachers and staff obtain over multiple years about what works best for each student. The data “helps with [kindergarten class] placement and instruction to set everyone up to be as successful as we can,” he shared. 

The intentional collaboration among staff at every transition point — from three-year-olds entering preschool to five-year-olds entering kindergarten — makes for confident learners who feel safe and comfortable. Even a kindergarten teacher waving at a passing class of four-year-olds makes an impact. “I think the sooner students and families feel they belong to the school community, the sooner that will transfer to their academics and their socialization at school,” Lundberg reflected. 

Sheikhyusuf agrees. “We’re excited to see their success and how far they get in life.”