LEWISTON — Touting research that shows students enrolled in extended prekindergarten days showed school readiness gains as much as half a school year, the Lewiston School Committee approved a new program to extend prekindergarten at Longley Elementary School.
This fall, the program, shared by Lewiston schools and Androscoggin Head Start, will be offered five hours a day, five days a week; up from three hours a day, four days a week, the committee decided Monday.
The program for Longley prekindergarten students will nearly double, Chief Academic Officer Sue Martin said. Prekindergarten is the most cost-effective way to boost student success. And, she said, it’s not intervention in the sense that “we don’t wait for kids to fail.”
Research shows that extended prekindergarten students have statistically significant gains over their part-day peers in behavior, language, math, physical health and overall scores.
Longley is a school where students typically start kindergarten behind their peers. The program is being paid for by a Maine Department of Education grant. Three of the classrooms will be held at Longley; the fourth at Head Start.
“We are very excited about this opportunity,” Longley Principal Kristie Clark said. “It’s our opportunity to close the achievement gap before it starts.”
Kindergarten teachers said there’s a big difference between students who attended prekindergarten and those who did not.
Veteran Longley kindergarten teacher Lynn Adams, “said it’s night and day,” Clark said. “Kids who come to me through prekindergarten programs, their scores are higher. They know what is expected when they come into a classroom. They sit and listen to a story and socially interact with their peers.”
The extended prekindergarten program would not be possible without partnership with Head Start, Martin said. Besty Norcross Plourde, Executive Director of Androscoggin Head Start, said the four-year grant “really will enhance where we have already gone.”
Committee member Paul St. Pierre said Superintendent Bill Webster has worked to ensure more youngsters have access to prekindergarten to improve their school success. “This is absolutely the right direction,” St. Pierre said.
In 2010, 170 Lewiston students attended prekindergarten; this year, the number is 255. Committee member Tom Shannon said 14 years from now the extended prekindergarten program at Longley will improve Lewiston’s graduation rates.
In other business, the committee unanimously approved three new hires or promotions.
Kaitlynn Brown was approved as assistant principal at McMahon Elementary School. Adam Hanson was approved as business manager. Michelle Winslow was approved as special education supervisor at Geiger Elementary.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
