FULTON, NY – Entering its 10th year, the Universal Pre-Kindergarten program at the Fulton City School District is making strides and delivering solid early education programs for the district’s youngest students, officials say.
MaryAnn DeMar, director of Literacy and Universal Pre-K (UPK), and Elizabeth Conners, executive director of instruction and assessment, delivered an update of the UPK program to the Fulton Board of Education Tuesday evening.
“We are celebrating 10 years of excellence… and providing sound early education to 4-year-olds in our district,†Conners said.
“We are on our own and now we have a nice support system,†Conners added.
DeMar noted that the enthusiasm of the collaborative agencies have been key to the program’s success. She explained that once the district learned that Oswego County BOCES would be pulling its site at the former Erie Street School, it decided to approach its other collaborative agencies that provide UPK instruction to see if there was interest in hosting at Erie Street.
She said First Step Universal Pre-K, Oswego County Opportunities and the Fulton Family YMCA jumped at the opportunity.
“All of them were anxious and willing to do other sections,†DeMar said.
As a result, the district opted to increase its offering from eight to nine classes. Each collaborating agency is responsible for three.
“It is always the interest of the agencies to grow if we have the funds,†Superintendent Bill Lynch noted.
“Our goal this year is to serve 150 students,†DeMars said. “We had 144 last year.â€ÂÂ
As of Tuesday, 124 students were enrolled for the 2008-09 school year.
Conners explained that the district opted to host an aggressive recruiting campaign this year and “blew the dust†off of commercials that were made for the UPK program several years ago. The commercials were aired in May, June and July.
“We are getting a lot of calls,†she said.
Conners noted that the district added a line to its application that asks applicants where they learned about the program. She said several families responded that they were informed through the commercials.
Lynch pointed out that the commercials were borrowed for a presentation that was delivered to the governor as part of a study on the affects of UPK.
“Our program is among the most solid in the state,†Conners said. She pointed out that the program continues to be entirely funded through grants from the state and has no local expense.
“We thought about providing transportation,†Conners said, noting that the idea was rejected after a cost analysis. “We couldn’t do that without a local cost.â€ÂÂ
New to UPK, Conners explained that DeMar has started to host site evaluations as part of the program.
“It is a very intensive process but has given us good feedback,†DeMar said.
Conners noted, too, that the new reading series and related software that the district purchased will be available to UPK students this year. Parental involvement will be another focus, she said.
“We will host four family nights this year,†DeMar said. She noted that the program is also establishing a parent advisory group.
“I already have two members,†she said.
One of the benefits of the program, Conners noted, is the intervention element that brings specialized services, such as speech therapy, to the UPK sites. The result, she said, has been fewer referrals to special education.
“They say if you want to make a difference with graduation rates, start with your 4-year olds,†Conners said. “Picture them walking across the stage.â€ÂÂ
Board member Robbin Griffin said that she has received positive feedback on the UPK program from the community.
“They are pleased with the program,†Griffin said. She noted, too, that parents are pleased with the smooth transition the program facilitates for students entering kindergarten.
Board Clerk Dan Pawlewicz asked if the district plans to tackle the transportation issue.
Conners said that the cost analysis showed that the additional mid-day bus run would have been too expensive to add. She said the district encourages parents to bring their children to class on the first day and talk with other parents about opportunities such as carpooling.
“We were cautioned that if we provide transportation for one, we have to provide it for all 150 kids,†she said.
Vice president Matthew Geitner also asked DeMar and Conners to prepare a report to share the observations of the site evaluations with the board.
The UPK program is available to families in the Fulton community at no cost. The program is offered as half days, five days a week. Parents can choose morning or afternoons sessions. Those interested in additional information or registration can call 593-5517.
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