For Ashley Melpolder, an itinerant preschool teacher at Floyd L. Knight Children’s Center, education is about much more than teaching children their letters, numbers, and classroom routines. It is about helping young learners discover their place in the world, building relationships with families, and creating a foundation of belonging that will support students through their educational journeys.
After beginning her career in a traditional preschool classroom, Melpolder transitioned into an itinerant teaching role, expanding her impact beyond the walls of a single classroom. Instead of working with the same 16 or 17 children each day, she now partners with childcare centers, families, and educators throughout the community to support young students with special needs.
“I get the opportunity to model for them how you interact with a student with special needs in an everyday setting,” Melpolder explained. “There are things about that [classroom] role I do miss. But the rings of outreach I can do in this new role are really never-ending, and I love that.”
While her responsibilities have changed, her passion for early childhood education remains constant.
“Preschool is where my heart and soul really is. That’s where you get kids to fall in love with learning,” she said. “That’s where you get them to understand that yes, school can be hard, yes, the expectations can be hard, but it can be fun and challenging at the same time. It can open up whole new worlds that maybe you didn’t see before.”
Melpolder understands that the preschool years provide much more than academic preparation. They are essential to developing the social, emotional, and practical skills that help children succeed when they enter kindergarten and beyond.
Learning to manage emotions, navigate school routines, communicate needs, and interact with classmates can be especially important for children with disabilities. Those early experiences build confidence and independence that students will carry into future classrooms.
Equally important to Melpolder is creating an environment where every child understands that differences are natural and everyone belongs.
“The kids here, whether they are our typical or atypical children, get to leave here knowing that they have a place in the world,” she smiled. “They get to learn that not all of us need the same things, and that’s okay.”
That philosophy extends beyond her work with students. Melpolder believes strong relationships with families are essential to helping children thrive, and she intentionally makes time to connect with them outside of school.
Whether volunteering at the PTO Thrift Store, attending a student’s soccer game, or accepting an invitation to a family celebration, she looks for opportunities to show families that she cares about them and their children beyond the classroom.
Sometimes, she says, the smallest gestures make the biggest difference.
Taking the time to learn the correct pronunciation of a family member’s name, attending an event - for even just a few minutes - or simply showing an interest in a child’s activities has shown Melpolder the best path to establish the trust necessary for productive relationships between home and school.
“When they invite you, it means they want you there,” Melpolder said. “If I can make it, even if it is for five minutes, I’m going to go.”
That investment in relationships also plays a critical role in another aspect of her work: advocating for students and helping families navigate transitions into new schools and educational environments.
Through her experience and connections across Lee County Schools, Melpolder has developed an understanding of the resources and support systems available to students with and without disabilities. She considers using that knowledge to help children and families one of her greatest professional accomplishments.
“The thing that makes me the most proud is the way I’ve learned the system in and out on both sides of it so that I can really advocate for my kids and families,” she said.
She hopes the relationships she has built throughout the district will help ensure that the students she serves have a strong foundation and experience smooth transitions as they move into kindergarten and through the rest of their educational careers.
Melpolder also credits Lee County Schools with encouraging her own professional growth. From presenting at the district’s Accelerate Learning Conference to pursuing additional professional learning and leadership opportunities, she appreciates working in a district that invests in developing its educators.
“When you can build capacity in your own teachers, you get homegrown greatness, and I’m here for that,” she smiled.
Despite the many responsibilities that come with her itinerant role, Melpolder says the most rewarding moments are often the simplest ones.
She laughs about the unfiltered honesty of preschoolers, who will readily tell a teacher whether they like an outfit. But that same honesty makes their expressions of affection, trust, and appreciation especially meaningful.
For Melpolder, every hug, every small breakthrough, and every moment when a child responds positively to a new challenge represents a relationship that has been carefully built over time.
“When they give you that hug, or when they say ‘I love you,” or even just sit down when you ask them to, it really is because you have built the relationship,” she explained. That foundation of belonging, trust, and opportunity is helping students thrive as they move throughout Lee County Schools and beyond.