Amherst schools' pre-K program examined by board
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter

The history of pre-kindergarten in the Amherst Central School District was explored at the March 6 Board of Education meeting.

Mary Lavin, principal of the Windermere Boulevard Elementary Early Childhood Center, said pre-kindergarten has undergone significant expansion since the board approved it three years ago.

Lavin said in 2004-05, 48 district children were enrolled in pre-kindergarten. This year, the number of children has more than doubled to 109 thanks to three New York State Education Universal Pre-K grants totaling $294,255 that the district won last June.

The increase in funding allowed the expansion, which includes a second location site in addition to Windermere at Amherst Community Church Child Center, 77 Washington Highway, and did not cost taxpayers any money, Lavin added.

Karen Redding, the district's educational coordinator for pre-kindergarten, who works as a liaison between the Windermere and ACCCC sites, said there are currently three half-day pre-K sessions at ACCCC totaling 51 children. The classrooms at Windermere and ACCCC follow the same curriculum and assessment procedures. Windermere has four half-day sessions.

"The goal is to design an early school experience that will possibly affect children as they grow and learn," said Redding. "The long-term goal is to ensure a quality program spread throughout classrooms."

ACCCC is the third collaborating pre-kindergarten partner with the district. Bornhava, a private agency that provides special education services at Windermere to preschoolers who are identified as needing special support because of a disability, and Bethel Head Start, located at the Harlem Road Community Center, 4255 Harlem Road, are the others.

Pre-kindergarten in the district is having a positive impact on the children. Using Marie Clay's Observation Survey, Lavin found children's scores for vocabulary and hearing and sounding words doubled from the spring of 2004 to spring of 2006. Marie Clay is a well-known researcher in educational literacy who has helped change the way schools teach literacy instruction.

"I am not telling you that pre-K is the only thing that changed these scores but that pre-K is an essential component," Lavin told the board.

The future of pre-kindergarten in the district looks bright. Lavin projects enrollment for pre-K next year will be 121 students, approximately half of the district's 4-year-old population. Ideally, Lavin would like to have pre-K available for any interested 4-year-old in the district.

However, it does look like pre-kindergarten will cost district taxpayers money. Lavin said New York State Gov. Eliot Spitzer is recommending statewide pre-K, meaning, if approved, pre-K would no longer be a grant-funded program. Amherst has received all of its pre-K funding through grants.

Lavin said state funding would become part of the proposed foundation aid formula which is a proposed increase of $99 million for pre-kindergarten. Lavin said the foundation aid formula would most likely not yield the per pupil amount the district currently receives through the pre-K grants, but a save harm feature is included to ensure that all districts receive at least as much pre-K funding as they did in 2006-07.

"Basically, this means a couple of years down the road, it will cost Amherst more money in order to operate the pre-K program and at the same time, have the expectations of all parents that the program exists because that's what will be emerging in neighboring communities," said Amherst Superintendent Dennis Ford. "By the time it catches on elsewhere, we're also simultaneously receiving less financial assistance under the proposed formula to run the program. That's where it becomes a real budget issue long term."

e-mail: pnagy@beenews.com