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Eastern Greene Schools to expand early-learning center with infant, toddler and pre-K rooms
Summary
Eastern Greene Schools announced an expansion of its early learning center that will add infant and toddler classrooms, a fourth pre-K room and extended-day care. Registration opens March 23; weekday hours, capacity limits and weekly fees were provided.
Eastern Greene Schools Superintendent Doug Lewis announced an expansion of the district’s early learning center that will add one infant room, one toddler room and a fourth pre-K classroom and begin enrollment March 23 for an August opening. Lewis said the remodeling will be paid for by a general obligation bond and a partnership grant with Lily and the Green County Foundation and that the program will be operated on a fee basis.
The expansion responds to what Lewis described as growing local need: “we've had to turn away a couple families in our current preschool just because we are at capacity,” he said, citing demand from working families who need affordable child care. Lewis said the district will remodel six existing classrooms in the elementary wing to create the new infant, toddler and pre-K spaces.
Lewis provided specifics on capacity, staffing and hours: each infant and toddler classroom will hold up to 10 students and employ a lead teacher plus two part-time assistants; each of the four pre-K classrooms will hold about 15 to 20 students with a lead teacher and two to three part-time assistants. Infant and toddler care will run 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; pre-K classrooms will operate 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., with an extended day option through the district’s Kids Zone aftercare until 5:30 p.m.
On costs, Lewis said the district will set weekly tuition at $225 for infants, $200 for toddlers and $175 for pre-K; he described the fee structure as intended to make the program competitive while allowing it to be “fully self-sustained based on the attendance fees,” covering wages, benefits and curriculum.
Shandra Jackson, the district’s early learning center coordinator, described the classroom approach as play-based and intentionally designed to support early literacy, communication and social-emotional development. “Play is really just the main way that children learn,” she said, listing dramatic play, block centers, sensory activities and short group read-alouds as part of daily routines. Jackson also said being inside the public-school system allows students to receive early intervention supports from special education teachers, school psychologists and therapists.
Lewis said registration will open Monday, March 23, and that families will pay a $50 deposit when they sign up. He encouraged families to prepare required enrollment documents—birth certificate and shot records—because spaces, especially the infant and toddler rooms with 10 slots each, are expected to fill quickly. The district plans to complete construction over the summer and host an open house after the program opens.
No formal votes or policy changes were reported during the recording; Lewis said the expansion is funded by the existing bond and a partnership grant. He closed by urging community members who are interested in employment with the early learning center to apply and by inviting listeners to watch district communications for registration and open-house details.
