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Kingman USD expands preschool hubs and highlights Cambridge Early Years pilot
Summary
The school board approved adding preschool to two elementary campuses and heard Little Explorers staff describe the Cambridge Early Years curriculum, assessment tools and expected benefits for kindergarten readiness.
The Kingman Unified School District board voted April 14 to modify two CTDS records to add preschool at Surfin' Elementary and Black Mountain, approving the district's plan to expand four preschool hubs across the district.
Board members heard a detailed presentation from Little Explorers staff about Cambridge Early Years, a play-based, developmentally sequenced curriculum. Kayla Hildebrand, Little Explorers site coordinator and lead pre-K teacher, said the program concentrates on communication and language, mathematical thinking and problem solving and uses work sampling and weekly progress monitoring to report growth to families. "Our goal is not to simply just run a preschool program. Our goal is to send confident, capable, ready learners into kindergarten," Hildebrand said.
Staff told the board the CTDS modification and licensing process require playground and classroom measurements, sinks and toilets at appropriate heights, background checks, health and fire inspections and other safety measures. District staff also addressed transportation: eligible preschool students will be transported and the district is coordinating routes; non-eligible preschool students would not be required to be bused but options are being explored. The district reported 208 preschoolers currently at Manzanita, up from historic counts of about 160–180.
Board members asked about assessment time, technology use and classroom structure. Presenters said Cambridge assessments are play-based and can be completed quickly; technology is used for assessments and select classroom components but does not replace teacher-led instruction. Staff emphasized separate age-group classrooms (three-year-olds vs. four-year-olds) to preserve developmentally appropriate instruction.
The board approved the CTDS modification to add preschool at the two campuses by voice vote. Staff said the district is working through licensing checklists and expects to coordinate with community partners such as Head Start where programs share campus space.
