West Orange expands universal pre-K to 600 seats, aims for broader reach through mixed-delivery partnerships

The West Orange School District said Monday that its Universal Pre-K (UPK) program has grown from an initial cohort of roughly 150 seats to a capacity of about 600 students spread over 15 locations, and officials outlined plans to continue expanding through a mixed-delivery model that includes district classrooms, Head Start and private providers.

Kalisha Doreline, the district's director of early childhood, presented an abbreviated version of a state conference briefing and said the program began in October 2019 and was strengthened after the district received a PEA grant in September 2022. "We went from 150 to 330," she said, and in the third year reached 480 students; "this year, we have a capacity of 600 students over 15 locations." She said the goal is to serve 90% of the pre-K universe and later reiterated a target to expand toward at least 850 slots as the district continues enrollment growth and provider recruitment.

The presentation credited the program's progress to a mixed-delivery approach that intentionally includes private providers and Head Start so families have options and the district can expand capacity without building new classrooms. Doreline said the district currently uses a combination of five district classrooms, four Head Start classrooms, and 31 private-provider classrooms across nearby municipalities, and that transportation, coordinated registration nights and neighborhood outreach (banners and QR codes) are part of the enrollment strategy.

Officials highlighted inclusion growth: Doreline said the program has increased the number of students served with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), noting the district's target to provide more placements in the least restrictive environment. She also described administrative expansion: a larger supervisory staff, preschool instructional coaches (PICS), parent and community involvement specialists (CPIS) and nursing support to manage immunization and health requirements.

Board members praised the instructional focus and the district's effort to include local private providers. Doctor Brown said she appreciated a curriculum-centered approach and the staffing investment. Mister Stevenson noted the importance of the mixed-delivery model and said the district intentionally avoided excluding private providers when building UPK.

Doreline identified ongoing challenges the district must manage: provider and teacher retention, aligning data and child-assessment tools with K'3 expectations (she cited use of i-Ready data for tracking), and ensuring families are aware of the free program. She described steps to address those issues, including earlier recruitment, targeted advertising, increased professional development for provider staff and centralized pickup points for transportation.

Next steps include continued outreach to private providers interested in partnership and monitoring capacity expansion so the district can reach its stated goals. The superintendent also invited the public to participate in the district's five-year strategic planning forum on Nov. 13, where UPK will be among district priorities discussed.