In room 137, the little tigers roar and run through the crowded jungle. No, we aren’t talking about real tigers or a real jungle; we are speaking about young tots who spend their preschool days in high school taught by Child Psychology students.

Child Psychology, the three-year, 21st Century Life and Careers elective, is available at THS starting as a sophomore. Students in the course explore the development and behavior of children, but instead of just learning about it, they get to put their skills into practice by working with the Tiger Tots. At THS, the Tiger Tots program, run by Ms. Chanel Carela, is designed to provide children ages 3 to 5 with academic, emotional, and social development

Although the Child Psychology I students just do small activities with the tots, in Child Psychology II, the students get to prepare lesson plans and execute them with the children. By the second semester of Capstone Child Psychology III, the teens go to the Tenafly elementary schools and act as teacher’s assistants, ultimately gaining them some college credits. In addition to the college credits, they acquire experience as a teacher, which could be very beneficial if they are considering becoming an elementary or preschool teacher in the years to come.

“The program is a very effective way for us to understand the behavior of the tots further and apply it to our own learning,” Shelly Frank (’26), a Child Psychology II Honors student, said. “Throughout this year and last, we did many different activities with the tots, such as creating stories, doing scavenger hunts, playing bingo, and much more. Recently, in my class, we all individually created lessons to teach children from kindergarten to fifth grade. This assignment intended to prepare us for eventually creating lessons to teach the tots, which I am very excited to do.”

Through the program, the teens take on new levels of responsibility, fostering new maturity levels, patience, and empathy, which enhances their communication skills. The teens form special bonds with the young kids as they teach and become their role models. The children look up to the older kids, which motivates them to both learn and grow. It’s a rewarding experience for both the teenagers and the children.

Overall, the Teens and Tots program is a unique learning experience for the Child Psychology students and the Tiger Tots. The teens gain real-world experience as preschool teachers or caretakers, while the children attain a new perspective of a teacher other than their everyday classroom teachers.

“Throughout the years, this program has been an immense success and has been enjoyed by both groups,” Carela said.