FRANKLIN TWP. | Last year at the Warren County Technical School, Hayyat Muheisen had an unusual class assignment: act like a 3-year-old.

Normally soft-spoken, Muheisen recalled how she threw a temper tantrum and refused to cooperate. The 15-year-old Washington resident stole markers from the class whiteboard and wouldn't tell the teacher where they were.

"It was fun. I liked it," said Muheisen, a sophomore. "I don't get to do that, that often."

The role-playing was practice for the school's new Sprouts preschool program, which teams up young children with Warren Tech students in the child development program for three mornings each week.

The program aims to provide students with the experience of giving back to other children. It is also designed to prepare them for a host of careers, from pediatric nursing and library science to social work and set design for children's activities, Vice Principal Geta Vogel said.

"It's a dream come true for me," said Vogel, who came up with the program's name after seeing a single sprout last March in her snow-covered backyard. "It's the growth. It's the whole sense of life."

In what had been office space, the Sprouts world has emerged. Red tricycles wait for a ride, brown cubbyholes are ready for backpacks and walls surrounding the main classroom are lined with letters, numbers, hands, crayons and images of farm animals. A playground set soon will sit outside the classroom.

Starting Sept. 15, about 30 freshmen and sophomores are expected to begin working with 15 children between the ages of 3 and 5 years old. The program is set to run 9 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Warren Tech students began preparing for the program last school year, studying the stages of child development and engaging in role-playing scenarios, program instructor Heidi San Filippo said. Once a week, students also read stories to young children at the nearby Franklin branch of the Warren County Library.

"I can definitely see the potential," said San Filippo, praising the students' demeanor and responses to certain situations.

Once the preschoolers arrive, Warren Tech students will work with them on various activities, some of which are geared toward building the children's math and reading skills. The Sprouts and their student-teachers also are expected to work with other classes within the high school, from graphic arts to tourism and hospitality.

By completing the program, Warren Tech students can seek certification as child development associates. Those credentials could give students a boost in seeking future jobs and also make them eligible for three credits at Warren County Community College.

With three younger siblings, Muheisen said she wants to be a kindergarten teacher.

"There's nothing better to do than to help the future," she said.