It's hard to tell who's more excited about Richmond's summer program for preschoolers: Terrance and Terrae Scott or their mother, Shebony Davis.

The twins are enthusiastic members of Frances Samuels' class at Bellevue Elementary School. Though Terrance and Terrae recently completed the full-year version of the Virginia Preschool Initiative class, they're back for more to make sure they're ready when they begin kindergarten later this summer.

Davis dropped off the older of her two sets of twins -- the second twosome came along a month ago -- and waited patiently to thank the man responsible for the class, Ron Robertson.

"It's been excellent," Davis said of her experience in Richmond's preschool-initiative program, which Robertson has directed since 1997. "The teachers are so wonderful, so caring."

Terrance and Terrae were among the 40 or so of Richmond's 845 preschool-initiative students last year who were invited to participate in the summer program. Now in its fourth year, the special session is being offered at Bellevue, Cary, Redd and Westover Hills elementary schools.

"We look at children who have been with us throughout the year and who need additional support to prepare them for kindergarten," said Robertson, who has worked in early-childhood education throughout his 33 years in Richmond schools. "Children come to us with different levels of readiness developmentally, emotionally, cognitively and behaviorally. If there's not a program to develop coordination . . . the child will come to kindergarten ill-prepared."

If it seems like high stakes for an optional program -- preschool is not mandatory -- that's all right with Robertson. The idea is to make sure kindergarten starts smoothly.

"This is sort of like the transition point from home to school," he said.

A big part of the summer program is parental involvement. Parents are asked to help at least once a week in the classroom and to make sure their children's lessons are reinforced at home.

"We certainly challenge our parents to be involved every step of the way," Robertson said. "They need to be part of the program so they can support it at home."

And that support, Samuels said, has to start in the classroom, no matter the challenge.

"If you want your child to be successful, we need you here," said Samuels, a preschool teacher for 33 years.

It isn't always easy, she said. During her career, parents have become younger and with problems she once didn't have to consider.

"Things younger parents need are different," she said. "They come with baggage sometimes. But you have to be there for the parent and the child."

Robertson, Samuels and others in Richmond have been there for Davis.

They helped her and the twins make the transition from Henrico County during the last school year, and they were there when Terrae needed a little extra attention.

"My daughter was having some behavioral problems, and the teachers helped me work through it," she said. "Whenever a teacher has seen problems, they have called me."

That call has often been short-distance. Davis has been a classroom regular.

"I'm just volunteering as much as possible," she said.

Not even the arrival of more twins could stop her.

On Mondays, her sister watches the newborns so Davis can help out at Bellevue.

"I just try to elaborate on whatever they're doing," she said.
Contact Zachary Reid at (804) 775-8179 or zreid@timesdispatch.com.