Thank you to our panelists and all parents/guardians who were able to attend the “The ABCs of Kindergarten” Welcome Event. If you were able to attend please see below to access the following resources which were shared at the event:
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In October 2018, the South Orange–Maplewood School District received a grant from the State of New Jersey to offer preschool education services at no cost to all interested Maplewood and South Orange residents. Prior to that, the District offered an integrated regular and special education preschool program for a number of years. The program shifted from Jefferson Elementary to South Mountain Elementary to Marshall Elementary before finding a permanent home at the Montrose Early Childhood Center (MECC).
At the start of the 2018-2019 school year and with the appointment of a new principal, Ms. Bonita Samuels, the program was ready to move forward. The grant posed the opportunity to expand the program, and with appointed Interim Assistant Superintendent of Special Services, Dr. Laura Morana, the District was now in a position to further advance the preschool program to address the needs of the early childhood population throughout the District.
With the opening of the 2019 registration season, the District received over 100 new applicants interested in enrolling children in the preschool program. To meet that need, the District met with private preschool programs in the immediate area to develop partnerships in an effort to expand the program. 2018-2019 school year, the District partnered with Applecore Learning, a preschool in Maplewood, as an additional Pre-K classroom site. In addition, a full-time Preschool Supervisor was hired to assist in expansion efforts, recruitment, contract development, and overall program management for the District’s preschool program.
The District’s preschool program received applications from 108 students in February 2019. Through a lottery system, all 108 applicants were offered a seat in the program between May and September 2019. Demand for preschool placements continued with the opening of the 2019-2020 school year. In response, the District held another lottery in November to seat applicants in available slots opening up in December 2019. Thus far, of the fifty-five students who were part of the November lottery, thirty-two have been seated and are beginning school this month.
As we enter a new decade, we will continue to seek additional partnerships to meet the growing need of parents in our District. The South Orange & Maplewood Universal Preschool Program continues to grow and is currently housed across four sites: Montrose Early Childhood Center, Marshall Elementary, Applecore Learning, and Zadie’s of the Oranges.
Dear Preschool Parents/Guardians,
The new school year will bring about a new experience for all students and their families attending the District’s Preschool Program. The implementation of the Preschool Education Expansion Aid (PEEA), designed to offer high-quality early learning, is allowing the district to serve even more resident students for the 2019-2020 school year.
While we had an unprecedented interest in the program, a random selection of applicants led to the assignment of students to three sites thus far, Applecore Learning Early Childhood Center, Marshall Elementary portable classroom and Montrose Early Childhood Center. New students were selected based on a lottery system drawn in accordance with the District’s Registration Policy and Regulations. Our commitment to preschool education is fostering partnerships with local child care providers to secure additional classroom space for South Orange and Maplewood students to have access to a high-quality preschool experience.
As the program continues to grow, the research-based curriculum (Tools of the Mind) and developmentally appropriate assessment practices (Teaching Strategies GOLD) will be implemented with uniformity across all sites. An oversight team has been assembled to provide program leadership, professional development and support for the staff throughout the year.
An FAQ has been prepared by educators and parents as a tool to answer essential questions the community may have. Click here to view the online FAQ or click here to download a printable copy. Please review it and if you have any further questions, let me know. I can be reached at (973) 762-5600, Extension 1841 or you may send an email to lmorana@nullsomsd.k12-.nj.us.
Additionally, we have reserved next Tuesday, July 30, 2019, 7:00-8:30pm at Columbia’s High School’s Auditorium, 17 Parker Ave, Maplewood, to address any further questions or concerns from our parents and families. I hope that you will join me then.
Sincerely,
Laura C. Morana
Interim Assistant Superintendent for Special Services
| 08-28-2019 9:33 pm | Download |
Preschool Program FAQ - July 24 2019