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Lawrence Township outlines rapid preschool expansion as enrollment triples since 2023
Summary
District officials told the Board of Education that Cardinal Kids preschool has grown from 105 students in 2023 to 255 this year, with plans to open two additional classrooms in September 2026 (adding about 30 seats) and ongoing work to reduce a 106-family waitlist. Presenters emphasized quality, coaching, and kindergarten alignment.
Ignita Pardo, supervisor of early childhood for the Lawrence Township Public School District, told the Board of Education on May 20 that Cardinal Kids preschool has undergone what she called "transformational growth," expanding access while investing in coaching and quality measures.
Pardo said the district's preschool enrollment rose from 105 students in fall 2023 to 255 students in the current year and is projected to reach about 285 children next school year after the planned opening of two classrooms in September 2026. She said the program now operates across 17 classrooms and six locations this year, with 25 seats intentionally reserved for students with individualized education programs, and that the district received 267 preschool applications this year leaving 106 families on a waitlist.
"This represents transformational growth," Pardo said, describing an expansion of staff and systems as the program scaled. She outlined core commitments to "nurturing growth, creating belonging, and ensuring equity," and said the district has added essential roles including P-3 certified teachers, a preschool instructional coach, an intervention and referral specialist and a community parent involvement specialist to support consistency across sites.
Preschool instructional coach Dana Schleider described classroom-level supports: regular ECERS (environmental rating) observations, data-driven coaching cycles and instructional modeling to help teachers implement curriculum with fidelity. Dr. Victoria LoCane, the preschool intervention and referral specialist, said the program uses the Pyramid Model for social-emotional supports and coordinates developmental screenings so kindergarten teams receive documented transition information.
Presenters pointed to specific assessment and quality tools the district is using: Teaching Strategies GOLD for developmental progress monitoring and ECERS and TPOT measures to assess classroom environments. The district also cited the Tools of the Mind curriculum as part of classroom practice and described professional-development pathways for teacher and coach endorsements.
Board members asked how the district will manage rapid growth and reach families not yet connected to district communications. Pardo said the district will add two classrooms in September (about 30 seats) and emphasized a targeted outreach effort led by the district's Community Parent Involvement Specialist to reach underserved pockets of the community and new residents.
The presentation closed with three stated priorities going forward: sustaining program quality through coaching and monitoring, expanding access to reduce the waitlist and opening two classrooms in September 2026, and strengthening pre-K through kindergarten alignment so instructional expectations and report cards align across grades.
The board did not take separate formal action on the presentation itself; preschool staffing and related personnel items were included in the personnel motions later on the agenda. The district said a parent orientation and the program video will be posted to the district website on June 1.
Sources: Presentation to the Lawrence Township Board of Education on May 20, 2026, by Ignita Pardo (supervisor of early childhood), with comments from Dana Schleider (instructional coach) and Dr. Victoria LoCane (intervention and referral specialist).
