State Ed grant will fund half-day program for 4-year-olds

By Sarah Hall

Editor

Starting in January of 2018, the Liverpool Central School District will be able to provide pre-kindergarten programming for up to 200 4-year-olds within the district boundaries.

Richard Chapman, the district’s executive director of K through 8 education, announced at the Oct. 23 LCSD Board of Education meeting that the district was one of 16 statewide to receive a New York State Department of Education grant to expand its pre-K program.

“For example, some school districts have a half-day program, [and] they can [use the grant to] extend that to full day,” Chapman said. “We’re expanding by actually creating a half-day program.”

Students must be 4 years old and live within the Liverpool Central School District. Chapman said the district is working with community-based organizations to find locations and staff for the program.

“We’re in that process right now of receiving proposals and then we will be making our selections,” he said. “We’re hoping we will start in January.”

LCSD Special Education Director Amy DiVita said the district is designing a pre-K program of study that will better prepare kids for kindergarten.

“We specifically chose curriculum that would align with and ready kids for the kindergarten curriculum in the Liverpool district,” she said.

Chapman said that’s the most important reason for introducing the pre-K program in the district — to better prepare kids for the future.

“We talked about preparing our students for tomorrow, and really that extends all the way back into pre-kindergarten — giving them the skills they need as they move into the more academic grade levels,” he said. “Just the social and emotional piece is huge as students come into kindergarten having experience in the classroom with other students. It really gives them a head start moving into kindergarten classrooms and that carries forward into first, second, third grade.”

The initial grant is for three years, but Chapman said the LCSD hopes to keep the pre-K program going after that point.

“Our goal is to, after the three years, if the money is extended or it’s not, to keep moving forward with pre-K,” he said. “Keeping the program and sustaining the program is the first priority and then from there, expanding upon it. This is just a nice opportunity to get a Pre-K program and reestablish a Pre-K program in Liverpool.”

Parents interested in learning more can visit liverpool.k12.ny.us and click on the banner at the top of the site. Chapman said priority is given to certain categories; if more students apply than seats are available, the district will have a random drawing. Parents must provide transportation.