New Universal Pre-K Already Paying Off For Mount Vernon 3-Year-Olds

MOUNT VERNON, NY — The benefits of pre-K education are well documented, but there are other benefits to early child education that can only be measured one success at a time.

In one Westchester city, those results can't be argued with.

A month after the beginning of the Mount Vernon City School District's universal pre-kindergarten program for 3-year-olds, parents are seeing development in their children's communication and reading skills, school officials report. The district's youngest students began their pre-K at familiar nursery schools in town, including WestCOP Bethel Early Childhood Center, Friendship for Tots, and Our Lady of Victory School.

The universal pre-kindergarten for 3-year-olds program kicked off in November. In October, slots were filled through a 60-person lottery. The 60 slots were funded through a state pre-K 3 grant, and 30 more students were added to the program using the district’s general funds.

"Pre-K 3 will give our families support with quality childcare," Director of Pre-kindergarten Gayle White Wallace explained. "It will also ensure the children get a head start on learning, which will provide a solid foundation for their educational career."

Eighteen of those students are attending the Our Lady of Victory location. Parents are already noticing the development of their children, according to the school district.

"Just to be able to experience going to school at such a young age is huge," Joamni Pena, whose daughter is enrolled at the school, said. "She would have had to wait until next year to go to school, so the fact that she was able to do it so close to our house has been pretty good. She has been having so much fun at school; she likes it. It’s been amazing. Just the fact that I’m able to drop her off early; she’s with kids her age and engaging so much. A month ago, she wasn’t even talking that much, and now she won’t stop."

The youngsters in Mount Vernon are getting a unique opportunity to start their education early. The school district said it is important to offer the next generation of public school students "a chance at early academic and social-emotional learning to enrich their entire educational journey." The pre-K children are getting their first experience with school and school officials say the benefits of this early education will help open more doors for them in the future.

"I think it's awesome because he was already asking about school, so obviously I thought he was ready," Charlene Awani, a parent of a pre-K 3-year-old, said. "It’s good that he has a place that is constant and consistent for him to do his learning. Even in the short week that he’s been here, I can already tell that it is helping. He loves it. He actually asks to come to school. I’m glad he’s adapting well to it, and I can tell he’s learning something. I feel that if you're getting this education this early, he is going to be well prepared for kindergarten and first grade."

Thirty-six children are attending pre-K at Friendship for Tots. Bishop Nathan C. Edwers runs the program at the Friendship Worship Center. He personally greets each student every morning as their parents drop them off, and then they walk down the colorful painted hallway, drop their things off in their cubbies, and head to class.

"First of all, the playing field of the trajectory of education has been leveled," Edwers said. "Children who have challenges can be identified much earlier than when they go into kindergarten, and a course of corrective action can be planned. It provides us an opportunity to jumpstart our children early. The transformation of these children who come in at ground level – to see them transforming into wonderful human beings – that is exciting."

At WestCOP Bethel Early Childhood Center, 36 more students are attending pre-K. The program will run until the end of the regular school year, and students enrolled in the pre-K 3 program will automatically be registered for pre-K 4.

"UPK-3 was much needed in the community, and, as a partner, we saw the need especially in this sector of Mount Vernon," said Janette Gonzales, Director of Early Childhood Programs at WestCOP Bethel. "All the parents were so eager and excited to hear about the opening for UPK-3. We are getting a lot of information, and the children thrive and start getting ready by having that much-needed social experience with each other. It also helps them prepare as they go into UPK-4 and then into kindergarten. So, the transition will be much easier. They benefit from our program because we offer comprehensive services – nutrition, health, mental health, and education."

About Mount Vernon City School District:

With more than 7,500 students in 16 schools, the Mount Vernon City School District is committed to providing a quality education to all children while developing programs that meet the diverse academic and social needs of its students.