Early Education Programs Help Prepare Students for Kindergarten
The West Side School District has data showing that students who attend its early education program score better on the Idaho Reading Indicator test that is given to kindergarten students to assess their readiness for that grade level.
But that’s not what Harold B. Lee Elementary School Principal Melinda Royer and after-school coordinator Lori Zilles, who teaches kindergarten and is the 21st CCLC program director, focus on when talking about the impact of the district’s early education program.
“You can totally tell a student who has been through our preschool compared to those who haven’t,” Zilles said. “I would say it 100 percent sets them up for greater success in kindergarten.”
That’s one reason why the longtime educators were thrilled to receive an early education grant from the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health in 2024 that enabled the district to double the number of students who can attend the preschool program.
The district now offers morning and afternoon early education sessions four days a week for children ages 4-5 who will start kindergarten in the fall. That’s a total of 48 students, who each attend a half-day program twice a week. Prior to the grant, only 24 students were able to attend the half-day program twice a week.
KIDS LEARN IMPORTANT SKILLS
That means more children are being exposed to early literacy and math skills that that prepare them for kindergarten success. They also learn social skills and expectations that include how to get on the bus and where classrooms are in the school.
“There are some who have to learn how to sit in a chair – there are skills that we assume they’ll have,” Royer said. “What we really strive to do is provide a positive environment for kids. Our No. 1 goal is they like to come to school. If we can get them to have a positive experience, it’s going to make the rest of their academic career much better.”
The West Side School District is in Franklin County in southeast Idaho. The district serves the communities of Clifton, Dayton, Oxford and Weston, and early education opportunities are scarce. Because of the large footprint of the district, it could be up to a 30-minute commute to a preschool in the county that costs money and doesn’t provide transportation. The West Side School District program provides bussing and is provided to families at no cost.
“Parents love it,” Royer said. “Since Christmas break, I’ve talked to four different parents on the phone who want to know when they can sign their kids up to get into our preschool.”
The original impetus for launching early education programming, which it did through a 21st Century Preschool Grant it received four years ago, was to provide the strong educational foundation that was free.
“There were a lot of kids whose parents simply could not afford to put their kids in preschool,” Royer said.
TRANSPORTATION INCREASES ACCESS
Even with a no-cost program, the bussing also has been pivotal in creating access for families.
“I think now we live in that day and age that not every young family has two cars,” Zilles said. “And when the one parent is going to work, we’re just seeing (transportation needs) more and more.”
The expansion of the early education program comes at a good time for the community. One trusted early education provider in the community announced she will be retiring after the current school year, leaving a giant deficit of available early education seats in the area.
“Sometimes Melinda and I start thinking it would be really nice to have three- and- four-year-old (programs),” Zilles said. “It might be something in the future we really have to consider because the preschool that we admire so much is retiring and nobody will be serving that age.”