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District expands before‑ and after‑school care to all elementaries; pre‑K at four sites enrolls 91 students
Summary
At a school board meeting, staff reported that the Friendship Company before/after‑school program now operates at all six elementary schools and serves 252 students; the district's full‑day Spartan Kids pre‑K program operates at four elementary schools and currently enrolls 91 students with classrooms capped at 24.
Fred Groff, a district staff presenter, told the SACS School Board the district has expanded its Friendship Company before‑ and after‑school childcare to all six elementary schools and is serving 252 students. “We’re actually 252 students as of today,” Groff said. He described the program as opening “as early as 06:30 in the morning” and running until 6:00 p.m., offering homework help and supervision for working families.
Groff said the Spartan Kids preschool pilot that began at Covington Elementary has been expanded to four schools — Covington, Haverhill, Lafayette Meadows and Whispering Meadows — and that each classroom is capped at 24 students. “So currently we’re at Covington, Haverhill, Lafayette Meadows, and Whispering Meadows Elementary,” Groff said. He reported 91 students enrolled in the full‑day pre‑K program and said each classroom has a licensed teacher plus two instructional assistants.
Groff noted program quality markers: each pre‑K site has achieved Level 4 on Paths to Quality and the district views the programs as supporting multiple strategic pillars, including academics and staff recruitment and retention. He said the Friendship Company helps retain staff who have children in the program and that the pre‑K program prepares children for kindergarten and “sets the trajectory of their entire education.”
Board members asked operational questions. When a board member asked whether there is a wait list for Friendship Company, Groff said there is not: the district added sites and can add staff to increase capacity. When asked how large pre‑K could be, Groff said the district would like a site at every elementary but must be realistic about available space and noted two elementary buildings that currently lack the program.
No formal board action was taken on either program during the meeting; the presentation was an informational update. The board did not set enrollment caps beyond the classroom cap of 24, nor did it change staffing authorizations during the session.
The presentation included photographs of program sites and referenced program staff: Jennifer Heaster as director of the Friendship Company and the district’s claim that program sites meet Paths to Quality standards.
