Tracy MacGiffert is a teacher for the Questar III Universal Pre-K program at Cairo-Durham Elementary School. Learn about her life outside of work and why she says early childhood education is so important.
Q: What is your role here at Questar III, and where do you work?
I am the Universal Pre-K Teacher at the Cairo-Durham Central School District. My program is located in the Cairo-Durham Elementary building on Main Street in Cairo.
The Universal Pre-K program is a grant funded Pre-K program that is open to district residents who have children who turn 4 on or before December 1st of each school year.
It is a half day program that runs five days a week. I currently have 31 students enrolled in the program-16 students in my morning class and 15 students in my afternoon class. Each session runs for 2 ½ hours each day and corresponds with the start and end of the elementary school day. (9:00-11:30 and 12:45-3:15)
Q: How long have you worked here?
The Cairo-Durham Pre-K program has been up and running for eight years. Working alongside me in the program is my very dedicated teacher assistant Jennifer Greco. Questar III hired Jennifer and me eight years ago as the program was put into place.
I had the unique opportunity of having my own twin daughters as students in my first Pre-K class and my son in one of the classes two years later.
Q: How do you see your role in supporting the BOCES and the school districts it supports?
I place tremendous value on Early Childhood education. We are expecting great things from our teachers and our young children today. A solid early childhood foundation is more important than ever. Parents transport their children to my program each day. The daily contact and relationships that I am able to develop with families establishes a strong and positive start to what I hope will be a long-term relationship between home and school.
I want all children and families to know and understand that school is a place where ALL kids will have FUN, will be SAFE, and will be SUCCESSFUL. As a parent and community member, the connections that I make with families comes naturally. I value quality communication between home and school, as I believe raising and educating our children is a TEAM effort.
The Cairo-Durham School District has made our Pre-K program part of the school community, as my students attend assemblies, holiday events, and special area classes when they are available. I work closely with the Kindergarten team as we prepare our students for the transition from half day Pre-K to the rigor of full day Kindergarten. As a Questar III employee, I have successfully tapped into the resources that are available to teachers and students throughout our agency. Communication with our behavior specialist as well as my fellow Pre-K teachers from Hudson, Ichabod Crane and Berlin encourage me to develop a program that supports the increasingly rigorous academic demands of today’s Common Core Standards. As a team, we created a Student Profile (Report Card) that is aligned with the Pre-K Common Core Foundations Skills established by New York State. Questar III prides itself as being a learning organization. Any effective teacher will know and accept that learning and growing as a teacher and a student is a process that never ends.
Q: What is your background like – previous jobs, your education, etc.?
I earned my Bachelor of Science in Education from SUNY Geneseo earning certification in Elementary and Special Education. I earned a Master of Science in Education from SUNY Albany with a concentration in Reading Instruction.
I worked as a preschool special education teacher in Greene and Columbia counties for 2 ½ years upon graduating from SUNY Geneseo. I moved on to be become a K-2 Special Education Teacher for the Cairo-Durham School District (which by the way is also my High School Alma Mater). After 6 years as a K-2 special education teacher, I transitioned to teaching mainstream Kindergarten in 2003-2004. After giving birth to my twin girls in July 2004 and my son in December 2005, I left teaching for four years.
I re-entered the teaching field when Cairo-Durham partnered with Questar III to establish the Universal Pre-K program.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
What I love most about my job is having fun with the children. I work and live in a world where play and make believe has tremendous value for each and every child. I love creating an environment that is warm and welcoming – a place kids are excited to come back to.
I also love the relationships that I am able to develop with the many amazing families who commit their time to our program.
Q: Tell us a bit about your life outside of Questar III.
Outside of Questar III, I enjoy spending time with my husband Robert, our three children Ally, Olivia and Colin (ages, 11, 11 and 10) and our 7 month old Shih Tzu Lily. Time at home at the dinner table or in the backyard around the campfire and our outdoor movie screen is time I value tremendously. We spend our hot summer days floating on our boat up and down the Hudson River while also managing a full schedule of baseball, softball, basketball and soccer games.
