An artful head start

Marisa O’Neil

Not many classrooms have a new car smell.

But walk into the newly reopened Orange County Head Start Costa

Mesa Child Development Center, in brand-spanking-new modular

buildings, and it smells like a car that just drove off the lot.

The federally funded center closed in May 2002, and the old

facility was demolished. As of Dec. 1, the new center, which offers

free preschool to children of parents who meet income qualifications,

is open for business and has plenty of open slots for half- and

full-day students.

On Monday, four students in the full-day program sat in a new

classroom, putting the finishing touches on their art projects with

glitter, glue and glittery glue.

Bryanna Perez, who was celebrating her fifth birthday, carefully

traced rectangles of decreasing size on a piece of red construction

paper and sprinkled golden glitter on top of it.

“Look at mine,” Bryanna declared proudly.

Sitting next to her, 4-year-old Tayla Crenshaw heaped red glitter

glue in one spot on her paper, like sparkly ketchup waiting for an

extra-special French fry.

“Look at this,” Tayla countered.

After the students finished their projects, teacher Laurel Ekstrom

had a proposition.

“I think we should go out and feed the bunny,” she said, drawing

eager gasps from the children.

Flower, a giant black and white rabbit, sat outside in a coop,

seemingly oblivious to the excitement her meal was generating.

“Hey, bunny!” Bryanna said casually.

As all four students stuck their faces in the open cage door to

get a glimpse of the rabbit, Falicia Crenshaw, Tayla’s twin sister,

took a basket filled with bananas and carrots -- naturally -- and put

it inside. Flower sniffed at it, but remained unimpressed for the

time being.

“Bunny, bunny, they’re right there!” Falicia urged, pointing to

the basket.

Back inside, Falicia, Bryanna and Tayla gathered on the floor and

worked on puzzles. Marissa Rosales, 5, sat alone in another part of

the room, quietly reading a book.

At Ekstrom’s urging, the puzzle-workers burst into festive holiday

song.

“You better watch out, you better not pout, you better not pout,

I’m telling you why,” they sang cheerily, if a little redundantly.

“Santa Claus is coming to town.”

Then, right on cue, a tap came at the door. Could it be Santa?

It was Bryanna’s grandfather, dropping off a cake for the class.

Obviously this year, Bryanna watched out, didn’t pout and didn’t

pout.

* IN THE CLASSROOM is a weekly feature in which Daily Pilot

education writer Marisa O’Neil visits a campus in the Newport-Mesa

area and writes about her experience.