In response to declining enrollment, the Harvard school district will offer a full-day preschool option next school year, combining the two half-day sessions it currently offers into one class. The School Committee voted to make the changes Monday on the recommendation of interim Superintendent Joe Connelly.
By law, Connelly said, the district has to offer educational services for 3- and 4-year-old children with special needs. Harvard has been fulfilling that requirement, Connelly said, with a half-day preschool program that mingles the special-need students with tuition-paying “typically developing students.” The mixed classes are preferable to a one-on-one learning environment, Connelly said, as it allows the special-needs students to model their behavior on the other students and to practice social interaction.
As of Monday, Connelly said, Harvard has only seven special needs students and five others enrolled for next year. As a result, “We’re going to recommend something we don’t have much option but to recommend,” he said, a full-day offering.
“Many, many parents have expressed to us that they would be more interested in our public school preschool if it was full-day,” Connelly said.
Parents who wish to continue sending their children for half a day, could, Connelly said. Those families would continue to pay the tuition of $4,500. Those who enroll in the full-day program would be charged $6,000.
“This is similar to some full day preschool programs in the area and will also keep us competitive with Harvard area private preschools,” Connelly wrote in a memo to the School Committee. For example, Connelly wrote, tuition at Evergreen Garden Playschool in Devens is $7,600 per year for its full-day program.
“$6,000 for full-day tuition is pretty competitive,” Connelly told the School Committee.
Harvard’s full-day program would actually be four full days and one half day per week, Connelly said. The half day, probably Wednesday, would give the preschool teacher an opportunity to catch up on paperwork, he said.
“We can’t have this person locked into five full days a week,” he said.
The changes to the preschool program will not cost the district any extra money, Connelly said; the preschool teacher already works a full-time schedule. Harvard does not provide transportation services to preschool students.
Another benefit of the full-day option, Connelly said, is that the educational plans of some of the special needs students require a full day of instruction.
“By having the full-day program, we can better meet the needs and address the IEPs that exist,” Connelly said.
The School Committee unanimously approved the preschool changes.
Connelly noted that the private preschools he checked with in the area said their enrollment numbers are down as well.
“I don’t know why we’d be surprised about that,” said School Committee member Keith Cheveralls, referring to district projections of a declining student population in the years ahead. “It’s what the numbers have been saying.”
