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Bolivar R‑I spotlights early‑childhood programs as attendance and targeted supports show early success
Summary
Principal Sarah Cooper told the school board that the Early Childhood Learning Center serves roughly 166 students, reports 95.87% average daily attendance so far, and has deployed PTA‑funded nine‑step calming centers in each classroom to support social‑emotional learning.
Principal Sarah Cooper told the Bolivar R‑I Board of Education that the district’s Early Childhood Learning Center (ECLC) serves roughly 166 children across multiple pre‑K and early‑education programs and is showing strong early attendance.
“ECLC is home to a 118 half day pre k students…a total of a 166 students,” Cooper said, and she reported an average daily attendance thus far at 95.87%. Cooper said about 63% of those students use school‑provided transportation and the site serves approximately 75 breakfasts and about 60 lunches daily.
The presentation highlighted a PTA‑funded “nine steps of active calming center” installed in every classroom. Cooper described the centers as a progression—from large gross‑motor activities such as stomping and pushing to fine‑motor and tactile tasks and breathing techniques—designed to help young children regulate emotions and return to classroom learning.
“Our motto is ‘together we are better,’” Cooper said when describing staff, parent and PTA collaboration to implement the centers and other supports.
Primary‑school staff and parents also described the district’s Transitional Kindergarten (TK) program, which mixes elements of preschool and kindergarten in a smaller‑group setting. Staff said TK is intended for students who are chronologically young or who would benefit from an extra year of social‑emotional development; parents at the meeting vouched for TK’s benefits, describing improved maturity and confidence in later grades.
Administrators provided enrollment numbers for the early grades: 24 students in TK and 194 in kindergarten as the district year opened; staff said about 158 students were transitioned from early‑childhood programming into kindergarten last year.
Board members asked clarifying questions about class size differences between half‑day and full‑day pre‑K and the eligibility criteria for full‑day slots; staff explained that full‑day enrollment is smaller by design and that certain full‑day seats are prioritized for students with qualifying IEPs or higher needs.
The presentation closed with a list of upcoming family engagement events including a district book fair, parent‑teacher conferences and a drive‑through trunk‑or‑treat on Oct. 30. Administrators said the district will continue to monitor attendance and the centers’ effects on classroom behavior.
Next steps: district staff said they will continue tracking attendance and outcomes for ECLC and TK students and will report more detailed building‑level assessment data during upcoming professional learning days.
