If the grant is approved, Pea Ridge School District will open one classroom for pre-kindergarten students next year.
Endeavor Foundation announced its selection of Pea Ridge for a new three-year grant opportunity, according to Keith Martin, assistant school superintendent.
"We do have some good news," Rick Neal, superintendent of schools told School Board members recently. "We received word last week about something we've talked about for years. We have an opportunity to do a pre-k program. They've released some money."
"We do have to meet the same requirements as an ABC program," Martin said, referring to the Arkansas Better Chance pre-kindergarten program. The grant provides $4,860 per child and is projected to fund the enrollment of 20 "underserved 3-, 4- or 5-year-olds August 2015 through June 2018, according to the letter received by Martin. It is for a new ABC program only.
The grant was due Friday, Dec. 19, Martin said. He explained that he proposes to renovate rooms in the building where the Professional Development Center is located.
"We don't want to take away a kindergarten site," Martin said, adding that the rooms are required to have 1 toilet facility per 15 students. "It will require a major remodel... there is ample space. It would allow us to grow to about 60 kids without having to move the site. It will also help with the traffic flow a little to keep it away from inside the Intermediate and Primary schools."
Acknowledging that there is a demand for pre-kindergarten in the community, Martin said that 20 students is better than none and is just a beginning.
He said school officials are evaluating how to select the students, whether through first-come, first-served or through a lottery. He said he will be conferring with other school district officials.
"We have to meet day care standards," Martin told board members, "but we already have the cafeteria. They'll have a standalone lunch."
"It's guaranteed funding for three years. We'll need one certified teacher and one aide. The majority of the grant will go to salaries and equipment," Martin said.
"I guarantee we'll have 60 to 70 students apply," Martin said. "It's a big financial help to parents because they don't have to pay child care."
"We can evaluate whether to have parents pay for spots later. There could be both tuition and need-based we might look at in the future," he said. "This will not be a school choice option; they have to live in the district."
Currently, other than private day care or pre-school, there are 50 children (25 3-year-olds and 24 4-year-olds) served through Head Start and HIPPY, according to Martin.
General News on 12/24/2014