Johnston's Developing Bridge Between Preschool and Kindergarten

Parents who feel their child needs a little more time before entering kindergarten will now have an option, known as developmental kindergarten.

The is working to create a developmental kindergarten, or pre-kindergarten, program to kick off in the fall.

The program would be used as a bridge between four-year old preschool and kindergarten for students whose parents would like more time before traditional kindergarten.

Bruce Amendt, executive director of academic services, told the school board on Monday that staff was contacting families who had registered for half-day kindergarten in January to gauge interest in the developmental kindergarten program.

The district offers half-day and full-day kindergarten.

"We're calling to determine if they were wanting half-day kindergarten or as the elementary principals have said they were using the half-day as a kind of developmental kindergarten instead of open-enrolling out," Amendt said.

Some Families Leaving District to Find Program

Currently, 24 families open-enroll their children to the Dallas Center-Grimes developmental kindergarten program, he said. Seventeen have already asked to be open-enrolled for the program in the 2012-13 school year.

"We contacted, by letter, all parents that have open-enrolled out with Dallas Center-Grimes," Amendt said. "I've had phone conversations with five or six of them. … We've already heard from four or five that are rescinding their open-enrollment."

Currently, five kindergarten teachers, one preschool teacher and two elementary principals are reviewing benchmarks and standards for kindergarten and preschool that will be used to close the gap between four-year-old preschool and five-year-old kindergarten.

"It would be a half-day program," Amendt said. "We will not be taking the current all-day kindergarten and teaching the same curriculum. There will be some overlap because we are preparing for the kindergarten experience."

Amendt said he had talked with the superintendent and associate superintendent on the plans for the new program, as DGC's staffing could be affected.

In Johnston, additional staffing needs are not anticipated for the program. 
Jim Casey, associate superintendent, said the current half-day preschool teacher, and an already planned half-day preschool teacher would be enough to cover the sections of developmental kindergarten.

"We might need two half-development kindergarten programs," he said.

Amendt said that when looking at the numbers it was the assumption that there would no longer be half-day kindergarten next year.

The developmental kindergarten program is expected to be housed at .

Amendt said the district would likely bus students from home schools to the program.

After gauging interest in the next few weeks, Amendt anticipates presenting the board with the number of families interested in developmental kindergarten at the March 12 board meeting.