MARYSVILLE – The former Mountain View High School is now home to the Marysville School District’s ECEAP program.

And that’s made all the difference in the world.

“Having our own building is huge for us,” said Tracy Souza, the ECEAP manager.

“I thought I loved my job before” but it’s even better now, she added.

Souza said Snohomish County paid to remodel the former high school for the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program, including four little bathrooms.

“And we never had a lunchroom before,” Souza said. “It’s the little things in life” that count the most.

School Board president Pete Lundberg said at the school board presentation Monday, “Sounds like herding cats to me.”

Quite the contrary. Ray Houser, executive director of assessment and student services, said, “It’s the most organized cafeteria I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Souza admitted it hasn’t always been that way. She said they have been taught how to behave and act in all aspects of school.

“We’ve expected them to do” things right, but we have “not taught them” in the past, she said.

One of the biggest challenges was on the bus.

“There are no seat belts so they would just get up and go talk to a friend, or hit a friend, or hide under the seat from a friend,” Souza said.

When kids do well, they can be nominated for the school’s Wall of Recognition. “The kids love hearing their name” over the intercom, Souza said. Each class gets one name on the wall each day.

Students are taught to be respectful, responsible and safe. The school actually has a behavior matrix for different situations that can explain what went wrong when talking with families.

Parent engagement is an important part of ECEAP. There’s even a curriculum for family support.

“We set goals. The families do, too,” Souza said.

Male volunteers are encouraged.

“We recognize positive male involvement,” she said.

The ECEAP program, which includes 187 students and their families in morning and afternoon sessions, is doing so well that the one here is only one of two statewide to score a Level 5.

“They really do deserve that score,” she said of her staff and students. They did so well they are mentoring other schools that did not pass.

One of the major things Souza is proud of is the school’s improvement in math scores. Kids are also taught reading and science. They are taught in large and small groups to even do things like clean up.

Even recess is a learning experience.

“They get to choose who they want to play with” on the new playground, Souza said. “Free choice is huge.”

Lundberg applauded the ECEAP staff.

“You can’t forget any detail,” he said. “They’ll find the hole” in it.

Souza agreed. Some have a little instruction in life.

“They don’t know how to … brush their teeth,” she said of some of them.

School board member Chris Nation asked if ECEAP works with private preschools to make sure all youngsters are learning the same thing. Souza said that was a goal a few years ago, but that didn’t work out because ECEAP programs were too costly for private preschools.

“All this good work is disjointed,” Lundberg concluded.

ECAEP has been around for 35 years, 17 in Marysville. It started at Liberty, then went to Cascade, Shoultes and now at its current spot.

Souza has been with the local program since its inception. To qualify to attend, students have to come from families who meet federal poverty guidelines.

Souza said the program helps close the achievement gap.

“Kindergarten teachers tell me they can see the difference in ECAEP kids,” Souza said.

By midway through the year, the 3-to-5 year olds can do many of the activities on their own.

“They don’t even need the help,” Souza said. “They can even take a break on their own” if they feel themselves getting upset, for instance.

ECEAP parents notice the difference in their children when they attend the preschool. Angela Brown has had three children in the program.

“They love their teachers,” she said, adding her middle child still makes cards for her preschool teacher.

Brown she the preschools helps prepare kids for kindergarten and beyond.

“It helps them know what school is. What’s expected,” Brown said.

She added that her kids still sing song they learned in preschool about things like cleaning up and settling down. They sing the song “Listening Larry” when they need to be quiet. Brown said when they used to be asked to clean up, she would hear in response, “I don’t want to.” Now, they sing the “Cleanup Song.”

Souza said she has heard that from other parents as well. Students’ emotional and social skills improve at home. The kids clear their own plate, brush their teeth, put their own coats on and follow directions better.

Instead of parents doing everything for their kids, they become self-managers.

“They become more capable, more confident,” Souza said.