Brick Schools Receive $4.29M Preschool Grant For 2020-21

BRICK, NJ — The Brick Township Schools have received a $4.29 million grant from the state Department of Education that will allow the district to expand the preschool program for the 2020-2021 school year.

The funds, through the Preschool Expansion Grant Program, will expand the availability of the program to 330 general education students in the district, an increase from the 270 served in the 2019-2020 school year, said Kristen Hansen, the district's director of special education. The program also will serve

The grant covers 73 percent of the costs for general education preschool 3- and 4-year-olds, including salaries and benefits for teachers, administrators, maintenance staff, busing and educational materials, Hansen said. The remaining 27 percent of the costs for the preschool program are covered by funding provided to the district for special education students.

The preschool program places four special education students per classroom with 11 general education students, who are behavior and academic models for the special education students, she said.

It increases access to the program for general education students, and reduces the need for self-contained special education classrooms, and helps prepare the children for kindergarten.

The expansion of the program has been part of the controversy over Herbertsville Elementary School, which is being repurposed for the program. The district is splitting the current Herbertsville kindergarten through fourth-grade students among Midstreams, Veterans Elementary and Lanes Mill Elementary schools.

"Opening a location on that side of town provides equity," Hansen said. This year, all of the preschoolers are bused to Warren H. Wolf Elementary School on Chambers Bridge Road.

Hansen said the goal is to continue to expand the program toward the number the state education department estimates is town's population of 3- and 4-year-olds, roughly 1,100 students.

"We're very excited to be able to expand the program," Hansen said.

The district began accepting applications for the preschool lottery on March 2 and will accept applications through March 27. There is an in-person lottery registration event set for March 18 for those who are unable to complete the online application or for those who need help scanning documents. Parents must register for the in-person event.

The district said 3-year-olds who are currently enrolled in the preschool program automatically will be enrolled as 4-year-olds — a change from last year's approach, where 3-year-olds were not guaranteed a spot as 4-year-olds.

Moving the lottery registration online also aims to avoid issues that arose when paper applications were misplaced, leading to a redrawing of the lottery and a lot of very frustrated and angry parents.

The grant, for $4,290,330, was announced March 4. In addition to the 330 general education students, the program will serve 168 special education students, with 315 students assigned to Warren H. Wolf and 183 assigned to Herbertsville Elementary.

The grant allows the district access to materials, professional development and implementation support through a partnership with NJ Grow Kids.

Hansen said the state praised the district's expansion of the program through the grant.

"The profound impact of this program on our students is apparent," Hansen said in a letter to district parents. "The number of special education students who are already being projected for our inclusion kindergarten classrooms rather than self-contained for next school year is significantly higher than in past years."

Having special education students in inclusion classrooms helps them grow as students, she said. It additionally eases the financial aspects of having children in self-contained classrooms, where addition staff are required and fewer students per classroom are permitted.

"As we continue to keep data on our students who were served in this first full year of implementation, we will be able to determine the true educational impact," Hansen said. "We are looking forward to seeing our referrals to special education in early childhood years decline, as well as improvements in the ability of our students to self regulate. Students who have the benefit of this program are academically prepared for kindergarten, creating better school outcomes for our students and setting them up for a successful school experience."

"Our preschool staff of teachers, paraprofessionals, (child study team) members and therapists are some of the most dedicated and talented educators I have ever had the pleasure of working with," Hansen said. "We are so excited to continue to provide such a wonderful program to our families."

Additional information is available on the district's preschool webpage. Read more: Brick Preschool Lottery Applications Open Online

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