Contoocook Valley board hears data showing Preschool for All expansion reached more families and produced early gains

The Contoocook Valley School District school board on May 20 heard a detailed report on the district's Preschool for All expansion, which presenters said has grown from 57 students before the expansion to 109 enrolled this year and includes increased outreach to families eligible for free and reduced-price meals.

District officials said the expansion added eight full-day classrooms and emphasized inclusive, play-based instruction with embedded related services. Carrie Coates, Director of Student Services, and Ben Mentor, Director of Special Education, described measures of access, program quality and kindergarten readiness they now use to evaluate the initiative.

Coates and Mentor told the board the district now serves a larger share of children from lower-income families: preschool free-and-reduced-lunch rates rose to about 34 percent, a metric officials said indicates the program is reaching the population intended. Officials described active family outreach: home visits increased from two families in earlier years to 23 this year, monthly parent coffee hours drawing about 15 families, and partnerships with local providers including Grapevine and River Center to coordinate supports.

On program quality, district leaders said most preschool classrooms are capped at about 15 children, with an average staff-to-student ratio that includes related-service staff of about 1 to 5.5. Teachers' qualifications were highlighted: multiple classrooms are staffed by teachers with more than 11 years of experience and some with master's degrees. Presenters said related-service providers are embedded in classrooms to support all learners.

For kindergarten readiness, presenters shared results from two screening tools. The DIAL-4 screening, given in spring as part of kindergarten screening, showed First Friends (district preschool) students without Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) averaged near the 71st percentile, First Friends students with IEPs averaged near the 43rd percentile, and non-First-Friends students were near the 59th percentile on the measures presented. District staff said these percentile comparisons are aggregate and use short screening measures.

Staff also reported results from the Developmental Results Diagnostic Profile (a teacher-completed, three-times-a-year profile the district piloted for all preschool students). Presenters said early- and mid-year comparisons show movement toward more advanced skill levels across domains including social-emotional skills, approaches to learning/self-regulation, language and literacy, cognition (math and science), and physical development.

Board members asked clarifying questions about capacity and wait lists. Staff said the district uses an enrollment and wait-list process tied to family registration dates and school preferences; they reported paying attention to census trends and to the number of families on wait lists as key forecasting tools. Staff also noted transportation remains a principal barrier: families currently provide transportation for preschool students who do not have IEP-related transport provided by the district.

The presentation included a summary of supports for children with special needs: staff said about 48 percent of preschool students are served partly through special education (IEP) services, and classrooms are adapted so children with developmental needs can participate in inclusive play and learning.

Board members and staff agreed to follow up with requested breakdowns (for example, disaggregated DIAL-4 scores for non-First-Friends non-IEP students where possible) and to provide the presentation materials to the board for further review.

Officials said the Preschool for All program remains a multi-year, phased effort the district will continue to monitor using the described access, quality and readiness indicators.