Transitions can be tricky. Just ask kindergarten teachers (and parents) who have seen their share of first-day tears and clingy five-year-olds. Regardless of their age, many children are not developmentally ready for the rigors of classroom learning.

Which is why the Early-Fives Program at Our Lady of Lourdes School in Northridge was created by teacher Ginny Davies to ease young children into school. Operating under the principle that learning at this age should be fun, OLL's Early-Fives program provides a safe and nurturing atmosphere where four- and five-year-old children learn interactively through the use of "manipulatives" (real objects).

"We try to find out what each child needs and help them develop by providing challenges that are both individually suited and age appropriate," said Davies, who holds a degree in Family Environmental Sciences with an emphasis in child development from California State University, Northridge. Students who have celebrated their fourth birthday by June immediately preceding the school year can enroll in the program, which began in the fall of 2002 (and has received local and national awards).

Great care was taken to transform a traditional fourth grade classroom with straight rows of desks into a developmentally appropriate educational environment designed to promote each child's physical, emotional, social, cognitive and spiritual growth. The classroom is built around specific learning centers located in different areas of the room. Identified by signs hanging from the ceiling, the areas include centers for art, computer, drama, fine-motor lab, library, music and science. The learning center model seeks to develop independence, foster decision-making and encourage initiative and involvement.

"This past school year we did a lot of fine-motor work, like working with scissors," said Davies. Working with manipulatives such as stacking cubes, connecting disks and stringing beads, the students develop their small muscles and eye-hand coordination and learn concepts about size, shape, color and pattern.

"There's not a lot of developmentally-based transitional programs around," said Davies, who received both an archdiocesan "Hope" award as well as a National Educational Association "SPICE" award for the innovative Early-Fives program. Last June, Davies participated in the "SPICE" symposium, held at Boston College, where Early-Fives was honored as one of 10 model childhood education programs in the nation.

Davies stresses the "learn by doing" approach in her classroom. "I'm always looking for something new," said Davies. This past year, her class of 11 students made spiral-bound books displayed in the library center. As a wider community-building activity, the children made seasonally themed crafts such as Halloween pumpkins and Thanksgiving paper bag turkeys that were given to parish Eucharistic ministers to cheer up the sick and elderly.

Early-Fives students interact with the older students as well as other faculty members who provide computer, music and reading enrichment sessions. They also participate in both the Christmas and Spring school concerts.

"I want the kids to have fun," declared Davies. Early-Fives student Eric Abel said he liked all the projects during the year, especially making the butterflies which dangled from the ceiling last spring. Fellow student Harrison Smith said he liked performing the daily jobs, including leading prayers and being the "Calendar person" in the morning who announces the day of the week as well as how many days they've been in school. When the class reached its 100th day, they celebrated with a party.

The Early-Fives program is held Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m., and Friday, 8 a.m.-12:50 p.m. Registration for the 2005-06 school year will begin next February. Contact the OLL school office at (818) 349-0245 for further information.