The Boulder Valley and St. Vrain Valley School Districts are actively expanding their early childhood education offerings as a result of two successful school funding ballot measures that The Community Foundation helped finance and campaign for.
In the St. Vrain Valley, board members will convene this month to set their new annual goals. One of those will be to build capacity to offer preschool to an additional 400 preschoolers growing up in poverty. This in response to a 79% increase in the number of preschoolers in poverty in Longmont over the past 5 years.
We applaud these efforts!
In the Boulder Valley, school officials have been expanding preschool and full-day Kindergarten offerings since the passage of their mill levy override in 2010. That funding measure included an earmark of an additional $5 million for early childhood classrooms.
What follows is an accounting of the BVSD early childhood education expansion that was assembled recently for a Community Leadership Forum on Early Learning that The Community Foundation and Wells Fargo Advisors hosted at The St. Julien Hotel in Boulder. Many thanks to Sandy Ripplinger, Boulder Valley Assistant Superintendent for School Leadership, for pulling this together.
BVSD Early Childhood Education Highlights
• Prior to 2000, BVSD had 5 preschools. Children were served through the Colorado Preschool Program (CPP) and in Special Education preschools.
• The vision to serve children in a more integrated program has evolved into preschools where we now serve children in balanced classes with approximately one third of the students paying tuition, one-third of the students funded through the Colorado Preschool Program (students financially eligible for free preschool) and one-third of the students funded through Special Education in order to meet their IEP (individual educational plan) needs.
• Through the support of the community, and with strong support from The Community Foundation, a mill levy was passed in Nov. 2010. BVSD was able to immediately add additional classrooms in underserved neighborhoods.
• Currently, BVSD has preschool sites in 19 elementary school buildings. In the fall of 2013, a new Early Childhood Education Center will open at the newly renovated historic Mapleton school site. This Center will host four additional classrooms – up to 8 new preschool sessions with the potential of an extended day option. The new center will serve students from neighborhood schools that do not have preschools in their buildings due to space constraints.
• BVSD currently serves approximately 825 students in 19 public school and community early childhood sites. With the new Early Childhood Center opening, BVSD will serve more than 1030 young learners age 3-5.
• 18 Community Liaisons serve each site – a new position added to facilitate parent engagement. Their role is important as they partner with families to nurture a supportive transition into public school education.
• Tuition has been standardized among all sites with a sliding fee schedule to encourage families with limited financial resources. 28% of the tuition students benefit from financial assistance.
• Twenty-three of the twenty-eight teachers hold an Early Childhood Special Education Endorsement.
• BVSD preschools participate in Results Matter, using Teaching Strategies GOLD to meet the child outcomes required component. Ipads were purchased to quickly transfer documentation into each child’s on-line portfolio.
• All staff participated in training to implement the Pyramid model of social/emotional growth. Approximately one-third of the teachers are participating in the Spdg grant using the Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool. ECE Instructional Coaches work with teachers in administering the TPOT and using the data to inform instructional practice. The grant facilitates visitations to sites successfully implementing the pyramid and also finances the purchase of classroom materials that support social/emotional growth.
• Following completion of the 2013 tuition lottery, placements are being made for the 2013-2014 school year. Many sites are filling to capacity and have wait lists. Exploration is underway for additional classrooms in East County.
• Publications are being revised to promote the state-of-the-art ECE Center at Mapleton. This premiere ECE Center is a bold step for BVSD in recognizing the importance of early childhood education for the future of BVSD learners.
