Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Early Childhood Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
York City SD presents expanded Pre-K Counts enrollment, higher attendance and mixed assessment gains
Summary
At the May school board meeting, Pre-K Counts leaders reported enrollment growth to 266 students, higher attendance and new curriculum and family-engagement initiatives; assessment gains fell short of some internal targets but staff said individual progress was notable.
The School District of the City of York reported sharp enrollment growth and improved attendance in its state-funded Pre-K Counts program during a presentation at the district’s May board meeting.
Dr. Angela Ashley, who led the report, told the board the program now serves 266 children and that the district holds grant funding for 275 Pre‑K spaces. “We do have the grant funding for 275 student spaces in our grama,” Ashley said, adding that the district hopes to expand capacity with additional grant requests in future years.
The presentation outlined demographic trends and program outcomes that district staff say matter for kindergarten readiness. Ashley gave enrollment and demographic details: English learner enrollment rose to 97 students; single‑parent households increased to 199; and families identified as experiencing homelessness rose to 27. She also reported rising attendance: “The first year that I was in charge of the program, we were at 82% … Last year, we were at 86%, and this year, I’m proud to say, we’re at 88%.”
Why it matters: district leaders said stronger Pre‑K enrollment and attendance help sustain kindergarten enrollment and support early literacy and math readiness. Ashley noted that of children who attended Pre‑K the previous year, virtually all entered kindergarten in the district, reinforcing program continuity.
Program and instructional changes
Ashley described several instructional supports and partnerships introduced or expanded this school year. The district piloted Age of Learning platforms (MyMath and MyReadingAcademy) beginning in January to replace IXL; Ashley said teachers implemented a daily target of roughly 20 minutes of game‑based practice (about 10 minutes each for math and ELA) and that initial usage is showing “some really great growth.” She said a vendor data review meeting was scheduled to quantify gains.
The Pre‑K team also developed local “math look‑fors” and created professional learning communities for Pre‑K teachers; the program ran family engagement events (including play-and-learn sessions at Keystone Kidspace) and partnered with organizations such as Positive Energy Arts Foundation, WellSpan and Junior Achievement for in‑class programming. The district’s PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) work for Pre‑K was recognized at the state level, according to Nicole Reed, the program coach. “We were recognized, again, with our program wide PBIS, for honoring tiers 1, 2, and 3,” Reed said.
Assessments and targets
Ashley reported results from the Preschool Early Learning Indicators (PELI), which the district uses to monitor alphabet knowledge and phonological awareness—early skills linked to later reading fluency. She said 63% of Pre‑K students were on or above the program’s benchmark for alphabet knowledge (the program goal was 73%) and 65% were on or above for phonological awareness (the district missed its goal by about 10 percentage points on both measures). Ashley emphasized individual student growth: teachers noted children who moved from knowing few letters or sounds to near‑benchmark levels over the year.
Support services and staffing
Staff described how the program has used family outreach and McKinney‑Vento transportation supports to address barriers to attendance when households move or are doubled up. Ashley said staff maintain frequent parent contact and that a bilingual office manager has helped increase access for families that speak Spanish and Haitian Creole. She also said the program finished the year with 15 lead classrooms staffed (no lead vacancies at the start of the year) and reported high staff attendance—95% for lead teachers and 94% for assistant teachers.
Next steps and funding outlook
Ashley said the program plans to continue its family‑engagement work, to share more assessment data after a scheduled vendor review, and to request additional grant funding if enrollment demand and state budgets permit. “The hope is that next year, we’ll be exceeding that 275 and having an actual wait list, so that in the following year, I’ll be able to ask for more grant money,” she said.
The board did not take formal action on the presentation; it was received as information.
