Important Dates and Deadlines:

UPK Classroom Spotlight: Florida UFSD

While Golden Hill PreK students typically view the world from about 40 inches above the ground, an elevated point of view is not the only thing they gain from field trips to Winslow Therapeutic Riding Center. For these kids, the world looks more than a little different when they sit on the back of a horse. It’s a world where anything is possible.

PreK teacher Caroline Hluchan has seen this each time she’s brought her class to Winslow, which she began doing 11 years ago. “By the end of it, what we see them gain the most is confidence. They are gaining knowledge, but it’s also showing them that they can do something they never would have imagined, and that can be applied to so many things.”

Mrs. Hluchan and Amber Saunders, another PreK teacher at Golden Hill, bring their students to Winslow once a week for five weeks. Throughout their time at Winslow, students learn to ride, how to care for the horses, and enjoy snacks and a craft related to their learning. When their time at Winslow is complete, students will have a celebration with their families to demonstrate all they have learned.

During their trips, students learned to steer their horses in riding lessons. “You use the reins to steer,” said student Anna Molina, who rode a horse named Peaches. Her classmate Grayson Janiak shared commands he learned to use with his horse, Lila, including “walk on” and “whoa!”

After the students completed a course where they steered around barrels and other obstacles, they dismounted and said a loving goodbye to their horses. Before heading to the next activity, a volunteer demonstrated to Annabelle Nebzydoski how horses see, by having her hold her hands in front of her nose to represent a horse’s blind spot. 

In the barn, students learned to groom Zazu and a few other horses. “We have to brush the horses to keep them clean,” shared Aneliz Cruz Loyola. She added that she especially enjoyed brushing Zazu’s mane.

“Hopefully, we’ll get some nice weather and get to go out on a trail ride in the coming weeks. We’re also looking forward to showing them how to make treats and feed them to the horses,” shared Stacy Lenz, program director and head riding instructor at Winslow. “I hope their time here sparks a passion and love of horses, empowers them, and gives them self-confidence.”

In addition to the horse-specific knowledge and confidence students gain, they also learn social skills and compassion. “It makes them much more aware of social cues; you have to wait your turn and wait to speak just like you would in a classroom, but it’s a higher priority here to make sure important safety information isn’t missed,” shared Hluchan. “Also, Winslow has farm animals like chickens and goats in addition to the horses. The students learn how to interact with animals and appreciate what they can do for us and how we need to care for them. It’s a really great experience.”

UPK Classroom Spotlight Opportunity

The Office of Early Learning is looking for best practices from districts, CBO, and Direct Contract Agency UPK classrooms to spotlight throughout the year. If you are interested in sharing a success story in any of the following areas, please submit your story via email to the Office of Early Learning at OEL@nysed.gov.

• Learning centers
• Theme integration
• Building classroom community
• Differentiated instruction
• Kindergarten transition
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion in the UPK classroom
• Anything the district is inspired to share with the field

You will need to include the following information in your submission:

• Subject: UPK Spotlight Submission
• Local Education Agency Name
• Teacher Name
• Photo of the best practice in action
• 1-2 paragraphs describing the best practice and highlighting any results since its implementation.

We look forward to hearing from you!