The Inter-Mountain photo by Amanda Hayes Hodgesville principal Janet Phillips cuts the ribbon to celebrate the formal announcement of a pre-K class that will be added to the school for the 2019-2020 school year.

The Inter-Mountain photo by Amanda Hayes
Hodgesville principal Janet Phillips cuts the ribbon to celebrate the formal announcement of a pre-K class that will be added to the school for the 2019-2020 school year.

BUCKHANNON — Upshur County Schools is adding five new pre-k classes for the 2019-2020 school year with certified teachers and assistants.

Hodgesville Elementary was the recipient of a $2.2 million School Building Authority grant that will build a new classroom to house the program as well as do other upgrades, will now have a pre-k onsite next year.

Janet Phillips, principal at Hodgesville Elementary, said, “It’s going to bring our pre-K students back into the community. I think it will encourage parents to enroll their children because they will not have to travel to town on a school bus or with parent transportation.”

School officials are hopeful the project will be completed by the beginning of the school year or as soon after as possible, but even if the new room is not ready on the first day of school next year (slated for mid-August), the students will be in Hodgesville.

“We are looking at a couple of options,” Phillips said. “It would be much easier to have everyone on the same campus.

“They are currently enrolled all over the county, but mainly at Little Ones Place,” she said. “Parents have that option of choosing a pre-k.”

Most likely, the students will be housed temporarily in space at the school and offices will move outside to a modular building if the classroom is not ready on the first day of school.

“The biggest benefit is they get to know our school, our procedures and our routines at an early age,” she said. “Also, we will be able to include them in all of our special activities. Right now, it is really hard to include them in anything we do.”

Prior to this year, Washington District Elementary and Rock Cave Elementary were the only elementary schools with established pre-ks. A pilot program at French Creek Elementary this year will now turn into a regular pre-k next year as well.

Two pre-k classrooms will be added at Buckhannon Academy and a new classroom will be opened at Union Elementary. The Union classroom will be a partnership with Island Nursery pre-K which will keep a pre-k classroom at its site.

Superintendent Dr. Sara Stankus said, “Right now, there is about 30 percent of the 4-year-old population who we are not educating. About one out of every three 4-year-olds are not coming to school. Our hope is we are able to bring more in. We want to expand our services.

“In pre-K, you are allowed to take 20 students in each classroom. With those 20 students, you need to have a teacher and an aide. Right now, we are doing what is called blended classrooms.”

There are collaborative pre-ks at various sites but they do not require certified teachers, according to Stankus.

“When we bring the pre-k into the schools, we will have certified teachers and they will have specializations — most of them will have an early childhood specialization,” she said. “Our assistants will have what is called an Early Childhood Classroom Assistant Teacher certification.”

Another benefit is bringing the pre-k students to their home schools where they will be in the same building as siblings and will get to know their community school.

“What we really are focused on is bringing these young children to their home schools and keeping them in their community,” she said.

Upshur County Schools will provide transportation for the pre-k students to attend their home schools.

Charliena Eubank, director of Island Nursery Pre-K, said in a press release, “For the past 14 years, Island Nursery Pre-K has been a public pre-K collaboration with Upshur County School System. We have worked alongside Union Elementary to always make sure our students had all of the opportunities available. Union Elementary and its staff have always made our students and staff feel like their own. We join them for special activities during and after school and on field trips. Island Nursery Pre-K is excited to collaborate with the additional classroom at Union Elementary as we look forward to serving more Pre-K aged children in the classrooms in every school.”

Stankus also said there are plans being made for after school programs next year — either in the school or through partnerships with daycares.

“We are working to establish after school programs in every elementary school,” she said. “So every school in this community will have an option for kids to stay after school to help working families. If it’s not in the school, then we have another place kids can go and be bussed there.”

Pre-k and kindergarten registration is scheduled for March 14 from 1-6 p.m. at the Event Center at Brushy Fork. A child must be 4 years old on or before June 30. Visit upshurschools.com or stop by an elementary school or the central office for enrollment forms. Questions should be addressed to Lori Woods at 304-472-5480 ex. 1043.