Unionville-Chadds Ford to launch full-day kindergarten; Longwood Foundation grant data plan underway

Unionville-Chadds Ford School District will start full-day kindergarten in two weeks, district staff reported at the Aug. 11 Curriculum, Instruction and Technology (CIT) meeting.

The program already has 203 students registered, up from 188 last year, though district officials said registrations continue to arrive and they expect the total to rise into the mid-200s. “I am thrilled to say that at this point in two weeks, we are going to have full day kindergarten up and running in our schools,” Mike (staff member) said.

The district described preparations made over the summer, including renovation work at Hillandale Elementary to convert two classrooms into three kindergarten spaces; large shipments of age-appropriate furniture; and curriculum and staffing work to support play-based and nature-based learning. Facilities director Mr. Weitzel (staff member) and his team were credited for the classroom preparations.

Why it matters: the program represents a major operational change and a new cohort of students the district will track closely. Board members asked that the district collect baseline and follow-up data so the district can evaluate outcomes the grant aimed to produce.

District leaders said they will track both quantitative and qualitative measures tied to the Longwood Foundation grant supporting outdoor- and nature-based elements of the kindergarten program. “We’re going to regularly be checking in with our team as well as collecting that more quantitative, like, alright. How are they doing with their reading scores?” Dr. Jenkins (staff member) said, describing a mix of test scores and teacher- and family-reported observations.

The district described the planned data timeline: it will collect data this year and compare the cohort’s outcomes at the end of first grade to prior cohorts to assess the program’s multi-year goals. Officials noted that some measures — such as counselor referrals or office referrals — may rise initially as awareness and reporting increase, and said longer-term comparisons (end of first grade) will provide more meaningful evidence.

Enrollment context and projections: the district reported that five-year-old live-birth rates in the attendance area were lower five years ago than in most of the past 15–20 years, which could affect cohort size. District staff said they had earlier projected a target of about 240 kindergarten students for planning purposes; current registrations are below that target but still within expected variation. Officials cautioned final counts often change as families make last-minute decisions.

Program supports and monitoring: the district plans to deploy reading specialists to work with kindergarten students, collect early literacy data and hold regular MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports) core-team meetings quarterly to review interventions and progress. Board members asked the district to track how much time students actually spend outdoors under the nature-based approach; staff agreed this should be monitored so outdoor time remains part of practice throughout the year, not only in early months.

What’s next: district staff said they will report back to the board with enrollment updates and, after the school year begins, early observations on implementation. Board members requested the district ensure the data collection tied to the Longwood Foundation grant is in place immediately so baseline measures are preserved.