At the littlest schoolhouse on Singleton Road —- formally known as "La Escuelita" —- 3- and 4-year-olds get acquainted with the rituals of school in the comfort of a converted apartment.

At the same Norcross-area complex where many of them live, they learn to work literacy puzzles at tables, play word and number games on a computer and move on to the snack area in an orderly group.

They're still too small for kindergarten at nearby Rockbridge Elementary, but they're not too young to start preparing for big kid school.

Rockbridge principal Dion Jones says La Escuelita has made a world of difference for so many children who had previously been left out of the preschool experience.

"There are more kids out there that don't get preschool than people realize," Jones said. "We didn't realize until several years ago how many kids weren't prepared for kindergarten."

Born from a unique partnership between parents, the United Way and one of its programs called SPARK-Georgia, which stands for Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids, the little school has been nearly revolutionary in this corner of Gwinnett County, Jones said.

It has changed the way his school works with pre-kindergarten students, he said, in ways that are now supported by Gwinnett County Public Schools.

Rockbridge now has a transition team, Jones said, working with parents and preschools, and runs a weeklong Kinder Camp each summer to give rising kindergartners a taste of what's ahead.

A handful of parents approached Clara Herrera, coordinator of SPARK-Georgia at Rockbridge, with the idea four years ago. Since then, she said, La Escuelita has served more than 200 students.

Last year's grads aced GKAPP —- the kindergarten assessment test that determines a child's readiness for first grade, Herrera said.

"All these kids were tested in July," Herrera said. "And they scored way above the rest of the kids."

What's more, she said, their experience made them more "socially competent." They already know about raising their hands, walking in a line and taking themselves to the restroom.

Getting them ready to learn is the whole point, said Debbie McMinn of United Way in Gwinnett.

"We have found that as children develop pre-literacy skills," McMinn said, "the dropout rate goes down. We're really focusing on the Norcross and Lilburn areas where there are language barriers."

Since March 3, a book drive has been gathering together supplies so there will be plenty to hand out at the Literacy Celebration on April 19. The Saturday event is geared to the whole family, with literacy games and storytelling for kids, and resource material —- such as ESOL classes —- for parents.

Marleny Vanejas, who has been the center's teacher for six months, presides over La Escuelita three hours a day, four days a week, with daily help from parents.

When graduation time rolls around —- about three times a year —- parents and families pack Rockbridge Elementary to celebrate, Vanejas said.

"It's a big deal," she said. "The kids wear little suits and dresses. . . . and it gets crowded."

The program has been so successful, McMinn said, that four others like it are planned. But first, she said, new funding has to be secured.

The original $4 million Kellogg Foundation grant established SPARK Georgia from whence the little school grew. It has been funded through Primerica-Citicorp Foundation for the past four years, but that grant, and the Kellog Foundation fund, are set to expire at year's end.

IF YOU GO

Literacy Celebration is noon-3 p.m. April 19, Norcross Human Service Center, 5030 Georgia Belle Court. For more information about the day, or La Escuelita, or SPARK-Georgia, call Debbie McMinn at 404-527-8806.