Early Childhood Education Gets a Local Boost

Study after study show proven, numerous benefits from strong early childhood education. It is those benefits that have encouraged the local Warminster schools to expand their kindergarten choices.

“There’s such a higher impetus on academic standards from when I grew up,” said Dr. Donna Dunar, director of elementary education for Centennial School District. “The kids have to be ready for those PSSAs by the third grade, and a lot of the teachers were getting frustrated because the half-day put too many time constraints and they couldn’t fit everything into the day’s schedule.”

When parents in register their children for kindergarten tonight, they can also sign up for an orientation meeting about the district’s full day kindergarten program.

The classes are offered at Willow Dale, McDonald-Davis and Stackpole. Since only 18 spaces are available per school, students will be accepted by invitation only. The children go through a series of screenings, starting with the orientation and continuing through the first six weeks of the school year. Teachers and aides keep an eye out for the students that would benefit the most from the extra time.

“We would love to have it open for all students,” said Dr. Dunar. “But the limited space means we have to prioritize the needs.”

Decisions about which children to invite are made by a group that includes school counselors, principals and teachers. They look for children that are struggling a little to master some of the social behavior and academic skills taught at that level.

The program began during the current school year, and Dr. Dunar already sees results. The assessments show the full-day students outperforming the half-day children, begging the question of when the option will be available for everyone.

“That’s my biggest hope,” said Dr. Dunar. “Right now we don’t have the fiscal means for it, but I hope we will soon. The results have been phenomenal.”

Full day kindergarten and 4-year-old prekindergarten classes are also offered at . Their success prompted the addition of a 3-year-old prekindergarten class. With 10 spots still available in the 25-student capacity, enrollment director Mitzi Chirillo encourages working parents to take full advantage of the opportunity.

“It’s a better alternative to the daycares out there,” she said. “The classroom structure gets them better prepared for future school life.”

The structure doesn’t mean the three-year-olds come in and start doing classwork like a third grader. Most of the instruction uses the learning through play model. The curriculum, which follows the Pennsylvania Learning Standards for Early Childhood Pre-Kindergarten, focuses on key areas such as creative thinking and expression, mathematical thinking, language and literacy, and social and emotional development.

“Even though it’s an academic atmosphere,” said Chirillo, “we realize they are still 3 years old. They have shorter attention spans and need to move around more often.”

The students will also be able to access the same activities as the rest of the school, including the music room, Spanish instruction and the computer lab.

Parents can choose to send their kids for half day ($3,000 tuition) or full day ($4,100 tuition) sessions, running from 8:30-11:30 or 8:30 to 2:30. In addition, working parents can also take advantage of the before and after school CARE program, which charges a $50 registration fee and then hourly rates.