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player ready...Valley View School District 365U is set to nearly double the size of its early childhood education program this fall with funds from a four-year, $4 million federal grant.
District officials are formulating plans for the expanded program, including screening processes and staffing, that aims to help “academically at-risk pre-schoolers,” according to a district press release.
The grant will bring about $1 million to the district for the 2015-16 school year alone, according to district spokesman Larry Randa.
“We’re very excited about receiving the grant,” said Jacci Brown, Valley View Early Childhood Center principal. “This is an opportunity for us to help our under-served kiddos right before they go into kindergarten.”
Currently, 255 students from ages 3 to 5 attend a half-day preschool program.
District officials plan to create an all-day program for 160 4- and 5-year-olds who are slated to attend kindergarten the following year, according to the district.
The half -day program will remain in place at the Early Childhood Center in Romeoville. The new program will likely be housed at several Valley View elementary schools, as well as Barber’s Corner Kindercare in Bolingbrook and the Good Shepherd Head Start Center in Romeoville.
Both the old and new programs follow the same curriculum, and officials expect a smooth transition.
“What’s nice for our families, most of whom are employed in some capacity and struggle to find quality child care, is they will have an opportunity to have their child in a quality pre-school setting all day at no cost,” Early Childhood Center official Michelle Sands said in the release.
Current students in the half-day program will be able to apply for the new program if they turn 4 by Sept. 1.
“There will be an application process similar to what we do for our pre-school kiddos now,” Brown said. “Parents will fill out an application, and we will determine their child’s at-risk factor and conduct a screening to make sure we get the students who are most at risk. Parents don’t need to do anything right now. We’ll let them know when it’s time.”
Consistency and communication are big themes in the expanded program, Sands said.
“Our children will have more opportunities to have a consistent learning experience,” she said. “We’re going to be able to create a more collaborative experience so parents and kids don’t get lost in the shuffle.”
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