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Schools

Educators look for best way to offer pre-K

With summer classes just six months away, the school district faces state rules controlling the program for kids.

By BARBARA BEHRENDT
Published December 24, 2005

INVERNESS - Like so many government programs, universal prekindergarten mandated by Florida voters offers a new way to solve a problem that everyone agrees needs to be solved.

But officials who have to put the program in place say the devil is in the details.

Since the beginning of the school year, private child care providers have offered universal prekindergarten to 4-year-olds at the state's expense. Of the 1,126 eligible Citrus children, there are still an estimated 528 who have not been enrolled in one of those private programs.

Local public school officials are very interested in that number. They could be serving a large percentage of that group this summer, because the law requires districts to set up a summer program for families that opt for one.

Although summer prekindergarten won't start for another six months, school officials are already scrambling to assemble a meaningful program.

First, educators must work out the right kind of curriculum to fit within the rigid rules set by the state. Summer prekindergarten programs must offer 300 hours of instruction. To make that work with Citrus County's school schedule, it will require the 4-year-olds to attend school days that include 81/2 hours of instruction.

Many recognize that such a long school day is not "developmentally appropriate" for such young children, said Nancy Haynes, who oversees universal prekindergarten for the Citrus public schools.

The trick is to design instructional activities that will fill the entire 300 hours, but will not be so intense as to turn the children off from learning.

"The poor little kids are going to hate kindergarten," Haynes worried.

Bringing good teachers into the program will be the real key, she said. They will find ways to engage the children, deliver the lessons and keep up the youngsters' interest in school.

"If we get our best teachers in there, they're going to make it work," she said. "We'll do the best we can to make it a good experience."

The school district will receive about $2,500 per student to pay for the program. No general school dollars can be used, and no monies were set aside in the law to provide transportation.

Haynes and others organizing voluntary prekindergarten lament that many of the students who most need school readiness instruction - youngsters from poorer families - likely will not get it because they can't get to the program.

School officials have not yet determined which schools will offer the summer prekindergarten program; Haynes said there likely will be two or three sites.

Haynes also has issued a survey to elementary teachers asking if they would be interested. She found more than 10 such teachers before the semester ended. That was encouraging: Some school districts are having trouble finding teachers willing to give up their entire summer, especially to work days that are longer than their typical workdays during the school year.

In Citrus, teachers typically work 73/4 hours per day.

Depending on how many children are enrolled, the district will likely need between 15 and 30 teachers. Haynes hopes many will have a background in early childhood because of the level of energy the teacher will need to work with such young students.

To meet state prekindergarten class size requirements, the district is considering 20-student classes with two teachers each.

"I just feel so much more comfortable with two teachers in a room with little people," Haynes said.

Some educators hope the Legislature will revisit some rules during its spring session.

Haynes said she sees the great value in fully preparing 4-year-olds to enter kindergarten. "These are children who will be that much more ready," she said.

But she also wishes there could be more flexibility.

"It's a wonderful opportunity that could go awry," she said.

Barbara Behrendt can be reached at 564-3621 or behrendt@sptimes.com

[Last modified December 24, 2005, 01:09:13]