Fremont 25 board adopts Boost handbook after teachers outline two-year kindergarten model

The Fremont County School District No. 25 Board of Trustees on Jan. 14 approved a revised district Boost handbook for the 2025–26 school year after Boost teachers described the program’s two‑year kindergarten readiness model and its performance gains.

The Boost program, which the presenters described as an “extra year” of development for children who need additional time before entering traditional kindergarten, will enroll children who are age 5 on or before Aug. 1, aligning the district with the state cutoff discussed by presenters. Boost teachers said the program emphasizes play‑based learning, social‑emotional skill building, early phonemic awareness and fine motor development rather than expecting mastery of kindergarten standards in a child’s first year.

Megan O’Brien, a Boost teacher for Fremont 25, and Kayla Luis, another Boost teacher, told the board that Boost offers “a gift of time” to develop independence, stamina and early academic skills through daily play, additional recess and sensory and art experiences. They showed trimester data they said demonstrates measurable growth: the presenters reported increases in students meeting benchmarks for letter sounds, phonological awareness and numeral identification between the start of the school year and November testing.

Teachers described classroom practices and experiences that they said build readiness, including cooperative play, cooking and community outings such as visits to pumpkin and raspberry patches. Presenters also described partnerships with older students, including reading visits involving fourth‑grade classrooms, as a way to build relationships across grade levels.

Board members asked about logistical challenges after reconfiguration that placed Boost classrooms at three different campuses. O’Brien said staff use Zoom and built‑in district planning days to coordinate across campuses and that the arrangement is “manageable” though not ideal; she said having immediate in‑building partners for crisis response would be preferable. The presenters also asked that the district clarify parent materials so families can distinguish Boost from the district’s 3–4 year old preschool and from kindergarten.

After brief discussion the board voted to approve the Boost handbook as presented. The approval was moved and seconded and adopted by voice vote with no opposition recorded.

Boost teachers thanked the board and administration for calendar flexibility that enabled district‑wide training and planning days, and they noted the district’s Boys Town behavior training had recently taken place on Jan. 6–7 for elementary staff.

Board members and district leaders said they valued the program’s emphasis on relationships and early intervention and asked staff to continue improving communications to families about the program’s goals and placement relative to preschool and kindergarten.