Due to state funding cuts and a desire to provide a more consistent program for students, Lake Orion Schools plans to remodel their pre-kindergarten program for the next school year.
The district currently operates a Young 5’s program for those students not quite ready for kindergarten, and KinderPlus, a tuition-based program that combines childcare.
The state has cut funding for Young 5’s, and without the reimbursement, Lake Orion can not afford to fund the program alone.
All of the district’s elementary school principals, along with Lake Orion Early Childhood Director Melanie O’Neil, were on hand at the Jan. 25 school board meeting to explain the plan to replace the Young 5’s program with a new pre-kindergarten program.
Rose Edwards, principal of Carpenter Elementary, said the district currently offers all-day kindergarten as their main program, with the option of Mon. and Wed., all day, with alternating Fridays; or Tues. and Thurs., all day, with alternating Fridays.
She said that schedule will continue next year as the district’s main kindergarten program.
The new pre-kindergarten program will be run primarily out of the CERC building, as well as Orion Oaks Elementary, which will no longer have their Young 5’s program, thus opening up space there for the new program.
Edwards said a class may be added at Carpenter as well, if space allows.
‘We’ll be surveying parents to find out, if there’s a need for the program here, as well as the space,? Edwards said.
The new pre-kindergarten program will be run on a half-day, every day, schedule, in addition to the KinderPlus program still being offered.
Orion Oaks Principal Brian Kaplan said the current program teaches 40 benchmarks, where there used to be only eight.
Close to 100 surveys per elementary school were completed by parents with kindergarten students, indicating a change in the schedule to every day would be preferred.
Blanche Sims Principal Eric Whitney said the program should be full-time, for everyone.
‘We need to create a program for at- risk students, or integrate them with at- risk funding,? Whitney said. ‘Many can’t afford our KinderPlus program.
‘We need to improve consistency for all-day students,? he said. ‘Sometimes we have holidays on a Friday…But some of the calendar issues are things we’ve done, and have control over.?
Edwards added that changes in the program weren’t going to ‘happen tomorrow.?
Short-term goals for next year will be increasing the KinderPlus enrollment, and opening more sections of the program.
Kaplan said there are currently two Young 5’s classes at Orion Oaks; they hope to have five classes of the pre-kindergarten program operating next year at the school.
‘We think this is a better version of Young 5’s,? he said.
Edwards said when students are ready for kindergarten, they will still have to go into the lottery system.
‘We don’t want to give the impression that they can buy their way in (to a certain kindergarten program),? added school board vice president Bob Gritzinger.