Registration under way for pre-K classes
District may institute full-day kindergarten
BY JAMIE ROMM Staff Writer

MIDDLETOWN — Full-day preschool will be another step closer to reality in Middletown since the school district has begun registration for the 2009-10 school year.

Registration for free preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds whose families meet income eligibility requirements was to be held at the Nut Swamp (Nut Swamp Road) and Port Monmouth (Route 36 and Main Street) elementary schools beginning Jan. 5 and continuing Jan. 8, 9, 12 and 14 between the hours of 9 a.m. and noon.

The program fulfills a new state mandate and is paid for with state funding from the N.J. Department of Education (DOE) through the School Funding Reform Act of 2008.

An open house for parents was scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 7, and will be repeated on Saturday, Jan. 10, from 9 a.m. to noon at one of the preschool locations, The Children'sAchievement Center at 745 Poole Ave. in Hazlet.

According to a press release from the Middletown School District, the township does not have the space for all the classrooms needed to provide for the state-mandated preschool expansion and has explored outside facilities for available and appropriate space.

"The Children's Achievement Center, operated by the YMCA in Hazlet, was chosen as a perfect fit for Middletown's needs," Middletown Schools Superintendent Karen Bilbao said in a press release. "The YMCA-owned facility's classrooms were available during the school day since the YMCA programs usually run before and after school hours. As a licensed preschool facility, the classrooms meet all code and N.J. Department of Education requirements. By operating the program rather than referring it out [as other school districts are doing with this mandate] we maintain control over the program using our own staff and curriculum."

Classroom space in several elementary schools will also be used for the preschool program.

State funds of up to $1.6 million will cover the start-up costs to equip the Hazlet facility with furniture, technology and instructional materials necessary to operate a preschool program.

The funding will also cover the cost of employing 10 teachers, one nurse, a supervisor or director of early childhood education, a master teacher/parent liaison, and a secretary.

The district currently has eight preschool classes of 3- and 4-year-olds.

Income guidelines are: a maximum of $19,240 annually per one-person household; a maximum of $25,900 for a two-person household; $32,560 for a three-person household; and $39,220 for a four-person household.

There are two classifications the Department of Education uses for the program. Universal preschool will be offered to all students in districts where at least 40 percent of students' households are income eligible.

All districts that do not meet the 40 percent guideline are classified as "targeted" and must offer free preschool to students whose families meet the income-eligible standard.

Funding for the preschool expansion comes through state DOE preschool education aid, which is based on projected enrollment and provides $12,092 per pupil.

The full funding is predicated on up to 90 percent of income-eligible students registering for the program. Should less than that amount register, the district has the option to fill the available seats with other students in the district on a lottery basis at the cost of $400 a month.

According to Bilbao, Middletown has operated other state-funded programs in this same manner in the past and has not had an issue in filling available spaces with other students when space was available.

Income eligibility is predicated on a family's qualification for the federal free and reduced lunch program.

The number of income-eligible pre-school children (estimated at 127) was projected from the number of current first-graders in the free and reduced lunch program.

According to the press release, the preschool curriculum will focus on early literacy and math skills as well as social and emotional learning.

Classes will provide opportunities for the inclusion of students with disabilities and the necessary support they will need for success.

A major focus will be on parent education so that a child's progress can be supported in the home environment, the release states.

"I certainly believe that providing this program will benefit the entire school district," Bilbao said. "A strong educational foundation begins in a child's earliest years. As some families do not have the financial means to provide their children with preschool education, it creates a real disparity when their children enter elementary school.

"Often, children that are referred for expensive special services really have an 'educationally based' disadvantage."

With full-day preschool set to begin in the next school year, the district is also looking into expanding its kindergarten from half day to full day.

At this point, the state has not committed to providing additional funding for full-day kindergarten for income-eligible students.

The release states that the district hopes that the funding will become available, but Bilbao has stated at recent Board of Education meetings and preschool forums that the district is already planning to implement full-day kindergarten for all students by the 2010-11 school year.

The district plans to reallocate existing space within its elementary schools to minimize the cost of meeting the state mandate and to keep students in their districted elementary schools, an option preferred by Middletown families, the release states.

"Two-thirds of Monmouth County public schools currently provide full-day kindergarten," Bilbao said in the release. "With the important goal of improving early literacy and realizing every student's potential, full-day kindergarten provides a solid educational foundation. Without it, the district runs the risk of higher referral rates to special education.

The district recently appointed Sean Mc- Neil as district supervisor of early childhood education at an annual salary of $87,440. He is currently a preschool teacher at New Monmouth Elementary School.

He will oversee the new preschool expansion program in the district.

McNeil's position is effective through June 30, when the district will receive funding for the preschool program in the next school year from the state.

According to Bilbao, if funding from the DOE is not received, the position will not be lost, because the district can look into including it in the budget.

Contact Jamie Romm at

jromm@gmnews.com.