Children who attend preschool overwhelmingly are better prepared for kindergarten than those who do not.
Common sense dictates as much. But the numbers also bear out this fact, both in Monroe County, and beyond.
That’s why the Switzerland of Ohio Board of Education recently voted unanimously to offer the Bright Beginnings preschool program to all of its students aged 3-5. Perhaps more importantly, it’s doing so free of charge.
“This discussion has been in the works for a number of years, probably 8-10,” said Switzerland of Ohio Chief Academic Officer Jennifer Bohach. “We talked about the need for it, and we just felt that it was time to move forward and make it work.
“We know this is the direction we need to go, and being able to offer this is huge.”
Students entering kindergarten annually are tested on their “readiness” for beginning their education. Of the current kindergartners in the Switzerland district, 83 percent of those that scored “ready” for kindergarten participated previously in the Bright Beginnings preschool program versus 17 that did not.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, of those that scored on the low, or emerging, end, only 34 percent attended the preschool program against 66 that did not.
Those students not kindergarten-ready when they begin their formal elementary school education are already behind their peers. That game only widens as they age, so something needed to be done.
“Overall, the kids are not ready. They are not where they need to be entering kindergarten,” Bohach said. “That’s a majority of the kids starting off already behind, and how do you get caught up? That’s one of the pieces of data we pulled to demonstrate that Bright Beginnings students were way ahead.”
“That gap only grows bigger though if they come in not ready for the kindergarten level.”
Making the Pitch
When it came time to put together the proposal to pitch to the board, Bohach said it took less than a month to get everything together. She quickly gave a ton of credit to representatives from the Ohio Valley Education Service Center (OVESC), which serves Guernsey, Noble, Washington, and Monroe counties.
The various ESCs throughout Ohio provide a number of services, primarily preschool, school improvement, and special education services.
“This is what they do,” Bohach said. “They’ve done a (preschool) expansion in Noble and other counties, so they knew what needed to be done and included it in the presentation. They were really key in that part.”
The Board first received the pitch back in February, but it wasn’t up for vote until March. It was a lot of info to digest and the Board members did their diligence in reading all the information.
A lot of questions were asked, but in the end, it was thumbs up across the Board from the Board members. The expansion was a go.
“They asked a lot of questions and put a lot of thought into it; what we could do, and what we should do,” Bohach said. “A lot of questions surrounded the tuition portion of it. Should it be free? Should it be reduced?”
The Board ultimately decided upon no charge to any student aged 3-5, regardless of need. The district will pick up the cost.
Bohach noted that in the past, the cost was $140 per month per child, whether they attended two days a week or four. There was a sliding scale based upon economic status. Any student that required an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) went for free.
Other Changes
This year was the fourth year in a row every elementary building in the district has housed a preschool classroom. Others individually have had one for far longer. But traditionally, it was an all-day, two day-per-week offering. Children with disabilities were able to attend four.
“We thought ‘Imagine if we could offer four days per week instead of two,’” Bohach said. “That would be twice as much exposure and knowledge building and working toward readiness, including both socially and emotionally, to be ready for kindergarten.
“It would make the kids more successful.”
Now all the older students will attend four days per week. The 3-year-olds will have an option to do so, but primarily will be two days a week unless they have a disability.
Transportation is also provided, and students will be able to eat both breakfast and lunch.
Preschool will not be mandatory or required, but Bohach noted it contains a number of benefits as opposed to general daycare for young children.
“They are getting an earlier start at education, and there are early intervention components too. The students will have access to PT, OT, and speech services,” Bohach said. “And at Bright Beginnings, it’s a creative curriculum so they are educating the whole child. It’s the whole package.”
The district is currently taking registration, which can be done by contacting the Ohio Valley ESC or their local elementary school for a referral.
Schools are holding kindergarten registration next Tuesday and Wednesday, but Bright Beginnings will be in the elementary buildings to answer any questions about preschool, as well as collect forms and documentation.
More information can be found on the ESC’s Facebook page or its website.
