Mehlville R-IX highlights early‑childhood expansion and community partnerships
Summary
District leaders told the board the early‑childhood program has expanded classroom capacity, reduced waitlists and will pilot a full‑day classroom model while strengthening community partnerships that boosted screening and enrollment.
Dr. Tiffany Schweigel, director of early childhood for the Mehlville R‑IX School District, told the board on Jan. 15 that the district has intentionally expanded early‑childhood capacity and services, adding classrooms and piloting a full‑day model to support school readiness.
Schweigel said the program added four classrooms at Beerbohm and Blades over the past three years and that expansions have “significantly reduced our waitlist.” She said staff have implemented language‑rich strategies and social‑emotional learning practices, and that staff participation in targeted professional development has supported those changes. “We have 5 improvement goals for this school year,” she said, and the district is “on track to meet all of these goals by the end of the year.”
Erin Amador, Parents as Teachers and Early Childhood coordinator, told the board the program has increased outreach and enrollment through collaboration with community partners. Amador said the program screened 383 students by partnering with 15 local schools and that community events drove a 20% increase in enrollment over the past five months. She credited The Crossing with hosting summer screenings that served more than 150 students and with opening a clinic that provides health resources for families.
The presenters described a shift toward a universal model for Parents as Teachers, moving away from serving primarily high‑needs families. Amador said the program is now “90% paperless,” and that the team has added administrative capacity to handle outreach and screening. District staff said they are piloting the Brigance screening tool to provide comprehensive data on incoming kindergartners.
Board members thanked staff and volunteers for outreach and partnerships. No board action was required on the report; it was presented for information and program oversight.
The next steps outlined by staff included continued data monitoring with the district’s data director, evaluating the full‑day pilot, and planning for possible program expansion in future years.
