Free Pirate Preschool prepares children for next level 

Greensburg’s Pirate Pre-K teachers Anna Hartsock and Emily Baute come to school each day with two goals. 

To prepare your child for kindergarten and to also inspire a lifelong learning journey. 

The preschool program is making a significant difference that teachers at the next level are noticing. 

“The Kindergarten teachers can tell who came from Pirate Pre-K because of how the children act in the classroom. Plus, the kids benefit from our curriculum because we are preparing them for exactly what will be taught in Kindergarten,” Baute said. 

Hartsock added, “The children here know how to function in the classroom. Their social skills are better and they are better at following basic directions. They just have a good understanding of what school looks like.” 

Pirate Pre-K is free and is approved On My Way Pre-K provider and is a Level 3 Paths to Quality Childcare Facility.

The program offers free transportation and students attend either a morning or afternoon session each weekday. 

“Two-and-a-half hours a day may not sound like very much, but it serves as a true stepping stone opposed to not coming to school and then being put in full-day kindergarten,” Baute said. 

Hartsock and Baute have experience teaching higher grade levels, such as third grade and kindergarten. They are now both licensed teachers in Early Childhood Education and have experience teaching kindergarten. Their background in kindergarten instruction provides them with valuable insight into the skills and knowledge students should possess upon entering the grade.

“My favorite part is watching how excited they get about education and seeing the light bulbs turn on! Just watching them accomplish certain things or seeing how excited they are to show us that they’ve written their name or drawn a person, it’s incredible to watch the progress,” Hartsock said. 

Baute added, “Preschool is really the age where you can see the whole child develop, from their social emotional skills to their fine motor skills, their gross motor skills, to all the academics. And so you just see such a tremendous amount of growth in preschool.” 

A child must be 4-years-old by August 1, potty-trained and live within the Greensburg Community Schools boundaries to be eligible for the 2026-2027 school year. 

Registration is currently underway and you can get more information by clicking here.