Sayreville presents Project Before preschool expansion and dual-language classroom

Audrey Burns, who oversees the district preschool program, and April Magistro, principal at Cheesequake, told the Sayreville Board of Education on Feb. 3 that Project Before provides inclusive early-learning services and uses curriculum tools including Tools of the Mind and Age of Learning. Burns said the program supports classrooms across multiple buildings and emphasized Grow NJ Kids trainer visits that coach new teachers to implement the curriculum with fidelity.

Magistro described a bilingual/dual-language classroom for 4‑year‑olds where teachers and paraprofessionals alternate English and Spanish during lessons. Board members who observed the class praised students’ fluid language use and the classroom team’s ability to engage Spanish‑speaking families—district presenters described the bilingual approach as focused on using both languages together rather than teaching English through a bilingual wraparound.

Board members asked about enrollment and scaling. Burns reported that the observed dual‑language class enrolled 15 students (approximately an 8–7 split in the cohort) and said Project Before operates preschool classrooms across the district; a figure in the presentation read as “6 75” in the transcript and was described by Burns as the total preschool program size (see provenance). Burns and Magistro said expansion would emphasize parent engagement and that staff training and bilingual paraprofessionals were critical to replication.

The presentation did not propose a districtwide mandate; it focused on the pilot classroom, teacher training supports, and outreach to increase family participation. Next procedural steps identified by presenters were continued classroom observations and consideration of piloting similar dual‑language classes in kindergarten or other early grades.