LIMESTONE, Maine — Fall of 2015 could mean big things for pre-K students in Limestone as their community school will receive a share of $14.8 million aimed at expanding public preschool opportunities — and those opportunities include schooling for 3-year-olds.
Maine Department of Education Officials announced on Dec. 10 that they had received $14.8 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Education, and 95 percent of those funds will be shared by the 13 school districts with high percentages of low-income students.
Assistant Superintendent of the RSU 39 Lois Brewer understands that sending 3-year-olds to school can sound a bit premature for some, but assured that the students will be receiving age-appropriate education — with books and learning through play.
“The research supports that idea of early intervention, early screening — anything ‘early’ has far, far lasting results not only for school success, but truly there’s research showing that early intervention for 3- and 4-year-olds results in life successes as well,” Brewer said, mentioning that those “successes” translate into a lower drop-out rate and an increase in college attendance
Officials from RSU 39 and ACAP have partnered for this project, having compiled information for the funding application this past fall.
“There is appropriateness with books and learning play and all those types of things, and of course ACAP and Head Start have a huge history of working appropriately with those populations of students and that’s why it’s a great partnership,” Brewer said.
The state encouraged RSU 39 to apply for funding, explained the assistant superintendent, as expanding quality pre-K goes hand-in-hand with educational improvements already under way at the Limestone school to close the achievement gap between pre-K and third grade. Having already-implemented improvements bolstered by additional program expansion is something Brewer finds highly encouraging.
“I’m most excited about the fact that this ties in so nicely with what Limestone is already trying to do. We know that the research supports the idea of closing the achievement gap at the gate — not in middle school or high school, when it’s so difficult to bring kids up to par when they’ve already missed a lot,” she said. “To see that it’s comprehensive and it’s going to focus on families and family education — it’s just going to help kids really get off on the right foot.”
Tracking students’ progress during early childhood years is a little tricky, but Brewer assured three-year-olds won’t be expected to sit down with a standardized test any time soon. She described how ACAP has amazing data tracking instruments and instead of algebra or grammar, they’re looking for student improvement on more general levels.
“We do know what appropriate benchmarks are for 3- and 4-year-old development,” Brewer explained. Benchmarks include things like knowing their letters, knowing how to hold a book, understanding that print is associated with language and growing a vocabulary, “even social skills, like how to work in a group and take turns,” she added. “All of those pieces will help a child to be successful.”
The recently-announced funding will provide four years of expanded pre-K education, but what happens after that has yet to be determined.
When Brewer sought permission to apply for the funding from the school board, one of their questions pertained to whether or not the school would be expected to uphold any positions created through the funding.
Acknowledging the fairness of the question, Brewer explained that the expansion could result in an employee position — but nothing specific is in the works at the moment. She did mention that LCS currently has a part-time pre-K teacher.
“The (School Board) is understanding, they are very fiscally responsible and there are no hidden costs at the moment, but do we look down the road?” she questioned. “Yes, we certainly do.”
Though the RSU will be watching the 3-year-olds closely, the expanded pre-K offerings will only be slated for Limestone — where the funding was designated for.
The expansion is slated to create an comprehensive early learning environment built around research on nutrition, early screenings, early intervention as well as family education and involvement.
Brewer highlighted the grant to the school board during their last meeting on Dec. 17.
