Pre-K at WBH is now a full-day program thanks to funding from the state and federal governments
New this year, thanks to special funding from the State and Federal governments, our Pre-K program has been expanded from a half-day program to full day. This will help us provide an even stronger foundation for our youngest students to hit the ground running in Kindergarten.
Previously, the program had a teacher who was split between Pre-K and Special Education and a part-time teaching assistant. Now, due to Universal Pre-Kindergarten grant funds the district received, the district was able to hire an additional .5 Special Education and .5 RTI teacher, allowing the Pre-K teacher position to move to full-time in Pre-K and increased the part-time TA position to full-time.
The class is capped at 18 students, along with one teacher and one teaching assistant. Teacher Hillary Watts and TA Deborah Gallucci say the increased class time benefits their students in several ways.
Watts and Gallucci say having more time with their students helps better prepare them for Kindergarten.
First, the longer school day provides more time to offer dedicated science and social studies time, versus incorporating those lessons into literacy and math. In addition to that added instructional time, Watts and Gallucci can also focus more on social emotional learning, helping their students learn how to better interact with their peers and deal with the stress and anxiety that often accompanies a child’s first foray into school.
Having more time in the classroom also allows more time with students who may need some extra help in some areas and offers opportunities for advanced students to practice more challenging skills.
While the academic benefits are many, perhaps the most important addition to the extension of the Pre-K program is the ability for students to become more familiar with the Walter B. Howard building before starting Kindergarten.
“Having a full day helps the students build stamina for full day Kindergarten and allows them to get to know classmates better while building a stronger classroom community and connection to our school community,” said Watts.