FPS preschool expansion floated

A Fulton Public Schools bus returns to the district bus yard after dropping off children from school in 2013.
A Fulton Public Schools bus returns to the district bus yard after dropping off children from school in 2013.

Fulton Public Schools is in the early stages of planning a massive expansion to the preschool program at the Fulton Early Childhood Center.

"We want to give every kid a spot," FECC Director Jen Meyerhoff said.

According to Superintendent Jacque Cowherd, the plan is in a preliminary stage, but the district hopes to have a free preschool in place by 2022.

"The preschool is a dream that we believe can be an attainable objective," he said.

Currently, FECC serves 75 four year olds, plus a handful of three year olds. FECC has a limited 20-person preschool program for 4 year olds. That program costs up to $80 per week, though parents whose children would qualify for free lunch pay less. The rest of the children are in free early intervention, targeting children with learning and developmental delays, or a special education preschool program.

The early intervention program offers bus transportation, while the FECC preschool does not. That may be a barrier to working parents, Meyerhoff said.

"We looked into it, and most free Missouri preschools are Head Start programs, and those are based on income," Meyerhoff said. "Aside from Head Start, I couldn't find a single free preschool in the area."

That's unfortunate, she said, because preschool provides a huge boost to children as they prepare for kindergarten.

Meyerhoff brought data showing the learning progress 4 year olds made between August and October. At the beginning of the year, only 50 percent of students could count to 10. Two months in, 67 percent of children could. Only 33 percent could identify 15 letters in August; by October, 44 percent could. Students also learn skills such as writing their name, and less-easily-quantified skills including following directions, socializing and conflict management.

"Visit a kindergarten during the first couple days of class, and I think you can tell real fast which kids have had that kind of structure," Cowherd said.

The numbers

On average, 150 children enter kindergarten at one of Fulton's elementary schools each year. Meyerhoff proposed expanding FECC to offer room for 150 4 year olds and 150 3 year olds. Free tuition would be offered to at least the 4 year olds.

Board member Leah Baker pointed out some families may wish to stick with other area preschools, but Meyerhoff thought it should be easy to fill most or all of the slots.

State law requires one adult per 10 students in a given classroom. Meyerhoff offered several options for how to arrange those classes, but based on her analysis, her top recommendation was offering 10 15-student classes for the 4 year olds (each with a teacher and support staffer) and 15 10-student classes for the 3 year olds.

The small class sizes allow for plenty of one-on-one interaction with teachers and make classroom management easier, Meyerhoff said.

She considered half-day classes for the 3 year olds, but believes full days offer distinct advantages.

"We've tried to do half days before," she said. "The lack of transportation meant the evening classes didn't fill up."

In addition, full days offer more instructional time and more opportunities for naps and snacks.

Many logistical and budgetary problems remain to be solved before the potential expansion could be implemented.

"We're currently transporting 1,280 students," Cowherd pointed out. "We're packed full. We'd need two to three more routes, and with kids that young, you're getting into harnessing issues."

Additional teachers would need to be hired - early childhood education teachers are currently readily available, Meyerhoff said - and additional classroom space built.

"It's pretty easy to say we need 10, 20 more classrooms, but 10 rooms, that's a Bartley Elementary," Cowherd said. "We will definitely need additional local tax money, because the state funding is minimal right at this point in time."

Via email, Cowherd added the district has hired Hollis & Miller to prepare a comprehensive facility master plan. Any implementation of a facility master plan will require bond issue approval by district patrons.

"I expect the bond issue discussion and amount to take place next in the fall 2019 and early 2020," he said. "I would think preschool classrooms will be included in the plan; however that is a Board of Education and community input decision."

Board members seemed to find the idea worth exploring.

"Most of the administrators at the elementary level are crying out for pre-kindergarten," board President Verdis Lee said.

Meyerhoff's presentation was informational in nature, and the board did not take any actions or votes on the topic.