Discovery Point Preschool follows a quality curriculum that is designed to help children develop skills that will enable them to associate with peers and adults in a safe, nurturing, and developmentally appropriate environment. Each month consists of a new theme and children are taught phonics, pre writing and reading, math, science, social skills, and more through the monthly theme. The school attends related field trips each month to give children a hands on experience of learning outside of our typical environment. The preschool program follows a modified Bishop Unified School District Calendar, with an optional summer program.
Ms. Shanna
From the time she was a small child, Shanna knew she wanted to work with children in some form. Shanna Nelson attended college at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo with the anticipation to become an elementary school teacher. Shanna started her career in Child Development as a School Readiness Coordinator. She worked with parents, school personnel, preschool teachers, and children. She wrote grants and developed curriculum to expand services and quality early childhood experiences to children ages 0-5. Shanna taught infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, monitored preschools and assisted preschool staff in creating optimal environments for their children based on Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scales. Shanna also did contract work for various agencies to implement preschool-like opportunities for children in Inyo and Mono Counties.
Shanna began her own private preschool in 2009. She felt that her experience and expertise in the area of teaching and early childhood environments could benefit children in the Bishop area. She opened her doors as a private preschool out of her home, soon after she sought out expansion opportunities to partner with other local agencies to provide more high quality early childhood experiences to a greater audience. Her partnership with Great Steps Ahead has allowed for a natural environment for both typically developing and children with learning differences. The partnership allows for Discovery Point to maintain low student numbers and a high student to teacher ratio.
Shanna believes in a hands-on, play based philosophy of early childhood education. Play based preschool is a type of facilitated play that enhances all academic areas through interest of the child’s. Shanna’s time with the children consists of outdoor play, freedom to explore ideas and concepts of the child’s, art, cooking, reading, singing, field trips and a safe healthy environment. She enjoys watching the children explore and develop a love through learning by making every moment in school fun and meaningful!
Shanna holds a bachelors degree in Liberal Studies with an emphasis in Elementary Education and Spanish. She also holds a Master of Arts in Education specializing in Early Childhood Education and a Directors Permit issued through the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.
Ms. Psalm
Ms. Psalm has always had a love and passion for working with children. The earliest memory she has of this is when she was about nine years old she went to Quito, Ecuador with her parents and volunteered at the Fathers Heart Orphanage. During her time there she worked with a young boy who was diagnosed with Down Syndrome, she instantly fell in love and from then on knew she wanted to work with children.
Psalm was born and raised in Bishop, Ca. She graduated from Bishop Union High school in June of 2018, and has been taking college courses to continue her education ever since. In August of 2019 she was blessed with a beautiful daughter, who she adores.
Ms. Psalm began her teaching journey here at Discovery Point Preschool the summer of 2016, and as soon as she walked through the doors she loved the fun and loving educational atmosphere. Psalm has experience working with children through babysitting, nannying, and volunteering at the elementary school.
Ms. Psalm finds it very important to create a safe, loving and fun learning environment. She also understands that each child is different and will learn at a different pace. She looks forward to learning and growing from each child who crosses her path.
Ms. Megan
I’m Ms. Megan and I’m a loving and exciting toddler teacher. I’m 22 and have spent the last year and a half working with Shanna and the other DPP teachers.
I love teaching at DPP because of the amazing energy that the kids give off. The pure form of unrelenting happiness and exciting discoveries makes this job so rewarding every single day. I love to come in everyday to hear all my students yelling my name in the morning because they are just so excited to see me and to begin a new day of exploring. I love being able to be a comfort person to a child that needs some extra love and to be able to to teach a child a new skill that helps their development for success. Everyday is so fulfilling to my heart and as my dad says “if you enjoy what you are doing, you will never work a day in your life”
Mr. Degan
I’m Dagan Sparrow, I started working summer camps at the bishop park when I was 14. Eventually I began working for Discovery Point at the first DPK After School Program and instantly fell in love with it. When I started working the program it was through lockdowns and online classes so the kids spent way more time sitting in front of computers and inside than outside being hands on with life, however, through the program we created a close group of kids who frequently went on adventures, building rain ponchos, forts and making trips to the canal. It was through this challenging time that I found a passion for helping kids succeed in their school work as well as taking them out and doing fun activities and adventures outside. I loved welcoming them off the bus after school and all of them where eager to tell me about their days at school and excited to see what adventures we would go on. The connections made, giving kids the attention and worth they need are unmatched, and it is so amazing to watch them grow and interact with the big world around them.