Urbandale showcases preschool program, cites higher kindergarten benchmarks for attendees

Urbandale Community School District preschool staff presented an overview of the district’s preschool offerings and outcome data during the board meeting, highlighting full‑day options, wrap‑around care and social‑emotional programming.

Preschool Director Ashley Myers, Preschool Instruction Coach Brittany Winship and Olmstead preschool teacher Roxanna Smith described program sites, instructional frameworks and early outcomes tied to district benchmarks and statewide voluntary preschool partnerships.

The district offers preschool programs at Olmstead, Webster and Valerius elementary schools and partners with St. Pius and Cadence Academy to administer state‑funded preschool classrooms that the district oversees for compliance with statewide voluntary preschool rules. The presenters said most 4‑year‑old classrooms are full day and that full‑day care and wrap‑around childcare is available when families qualify for HHS childcare assistance.

Staff reported winter checkpoint results from February showing 90% of preschool students meeting or exceeding literacy benchmarks, 87% meeting or exceeding math benchmarks and 87% meeting or exceeding social‑emotional benchmarks. Kindergarten fall FAST results presented by staff showed that roughly 80% of students who attended an Urbandale preschool classroom met the fall FAST literacy benchmark compared with 59% of kindergarten students who had not attended an Urbandale preschool program; for math, staff reported 82% of children who attended Urbandale preschool were at benchmark versus 70% who had not attended.

Presenters noted current program counts and needs: 48 preschool students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), 35 English‑language learners and 21 students whose families receive childcare assistance to attend full‑day preschool.

Staff summarized instructional materials and approaches in use: Creative Curriculum for full‑day programming, handwriting curriculum (Handwriting Without Tears), OWL’s Pals for social‑emotional learning, and SEEDS and Eureka/Go Math elements for literacy and mathematics. The preschool token economy and PBIS routines—escalating classroom celebrations for group behavior and visual routines to build independence—were shown as strategies to support behavior and routines.

Presenters showed short classroom videos illustrating peer‑interaction strategies (greeting songs, buddy play) and step‑by‑step problem‑solving instruction used in 3‑ and 4‑year‑old classrooms. They said teachers are implementing learning targets and success criteria in math lessons so students can recognize when they have met learning goals.

Board members asked clarifying questions about the comparison group for the FAST scores and about availability of full‑day options; staff clarified that the comparison was to students who had not attended any Urbandale preschool program and reiterated the district’s wrap‑around and partnership offerings.

The presentation closed with reminders about outreach events and registration: a community Read Around Urbandale event set for May 6 at the pond near the middle school and continuing kindergarten and returning‑family registration through September 1.

The board did not take formal action on the presentation; it served as an informational showcase.