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Eastern Greene Schools plans to expand early learning center to serve up to 80 children; registrations targeted for March 23
Summary
Administrators told the board they will add infant, toddler and an additional 3–5 classroom to the district’s Early Learning Center, expanding capacity from roughly 45–50 to 70–80 children; the program will be self-sustaining (fee-funded) and registrations are planned to open March 23.
Eastern Greene Schools announced March 9 that it will expand its Early Learning Center (ELC) next school year by adding an infant classroom, a toddler classroom and a third 3–5-year-old classroom.
Administration said the expansion will raise the ELC’s capacity from about 45–50 children to roughly 70–80. The district described the ELC expansion as self-sustaining: it will operate on fees paid by participating families and is not part of the district’s general operating budget. Administration also noted that developmental-preschool students who receive separate state funding will remain distinct from the fee-based ELC slots.
Construction work to accommodate the new classrooms is scheduled over the summer, with a target of completing work by Aug. 1 so the program can begin in the fall. The district plans to open online registration on March 23; staff said the March 23 target could be affected by ongoing personnel transitions after the March 20 resignation of the early learning center coordinator.
The board was told the ELC expansion is intended to address local child-care shortages and provide affordable, local options for families; administrators said they expect demand to outpace supply despite the increase in seats.
Administration indicated parents will receive additional details through district communications and that the district will provide construction and registration updates as they become available.
