Parents of children who attend preschool at Joe Nightingale Elementary School recently learned the program will end on June 14.
School officials said the decision to close the preschool, which will only impact about seven students, was based on several factors, including financial limitations, licensing problems, and questions about the program’s viability. Another factor was the Orcutt Union School District’s decision to offer transitional kindergarten.
Nightingale Principal Don Nicholson said the transitional kindergarten wasn’t the only reason, however, despite some confusion from parents.
“There were many, many other factors. There were space issues, staffing issues, cost issues, and how far it had strayed from the original program’s intention,” he said.
The preschool was originally started to give district teachers a convenient place to send their preschoolers, as well as 4-year-olds not ready for kindergarten. The preschool is the only fee-based program in the district. A state-run preschool exists at May Grisham Elementary School.
Nicholson said the majority of the preschool’s students won’t be affected by the closure. Of the 27 students currently enrolled, 17 will go on to regular kindergarten, three will be eligible for transitional kindergarten, and the remaining seven will have to find other arrangements.
“We’re not closing tomorrow and the program was never a summer program, so there’s time to find other arrangements,” Nicholson said.
Transitional kindergarten meets the needs of children who don’t satisfy the age cutoff for kindergarten. Currently, children must turn 5 by Dec. 1 to enter kindergarten, but that will soon change to Nov. 1, followed by Oct. 1 next year, and Sept. 1 the following year.
Holly Edds, assistant superintendent of curriculum, said the need for transitional kindergarten is a result of the Kindergarten Readiness Act of 2010. Nightingale Elementary School will house the transitional kindergarten for the entire district.
“It’s basically adding another grade level to our school system, so it’s a big deal. This hasn’t been done since the 1800s,” Edds said.
Edds added that there are still some questions about the transitional kindergarten program. For example, it’s still unclear whether the state will fund the program. Other variables include how adding the transitional kindergarten programs will affect other preschools.
“We just don’t know yet what kind of impact the community preschools will face because of this transitional kindergarten mandate,” Edds said.
This article appears in Apr 5-12, 2012.