District plans new preschool

CENTRAL HEIGHTS — A new preschool program at Central Heights aims to give children a helping hand into kindergarten.

Because of a state grant, the school will start its first-ever preschool for 4-year-olds in southern Franklin County this fall, Luis Hinojosa, Central Heights elementary principal, said.

A preliminary meeting will be 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday in the Central Heights elementary library. “At-risk” students will be the first to be offered slots in the preschool, he said.

“This enrollment period is intended to determine if students are eligible,” Hinojosa said. “We won’t know how many students will be eligible until we review all of the forms.”

Because of state and federal standards, every child must be able to read at the appropriate level for their age and grade by 2014, he said.

That puts more pressure on schools to ensure that kindergarten students get a good start, learning numbers and letters, he said.

A preschool program should help them toward that goal, he said.

The preschool will help ensure that students coming into kindergarten will be ready, he said.

Central Heights Superintendent Jim Reece tracked down the grant for the program, Hinojosa said.

“Jim is very community-minded,” he said. After he became superintendent, Reece found there was strong interest in having a preschool in southern Franklin County, Hinojosa said.

“He wanted to see what we could do for that,” he said.

The grant will fund slots for up to 10 children, he said.

Because of the type of grant it is, the preschool will give first priority to “at-risk” 4-year-olds, he said.

Among the criteria for at-risk students:

• Would qualify for the federal free lunch program on Sept. 20, 2008.

• At time of enrollment, the student’s custodial parent is unmarried.

• Referral from the Department of Social Rehabilitation Services. The reason for the referral must describe the need for the child to attend the preschool program and be documented and signed by an SRS agent.

• At least one parent was a teen when the child was born.

• At the time of enrollment, either parent lacks a high school diploma or a GED.

• The child qualifies for migrant status. There must be a copy of the Certificate of Eligibility on file.

• Limited knowledge of English. Limited English Proficiency status must be documented and forms must be in child’s file.

• Developmentally or academically delayed based on validated assessments. The child must have been determined by a qualified professional  to be developmentally and/or academically delayed based on standardized assessment results. Assessment and results must be in the child’s file. The child cannot qualify for special education services.

Parents are asked to bring forms that will help verify any of the at-risk criteria.

However, if there are more slots available after at-risk children are enrolled, those slots will be offered to any other 4-year-olds living in the Central Heights district, he said.

Parents should bring their children’s birth certificates and immunization records to put into the student records. Physicals will need to be in the office before the start of school.

Sarah Evans, who is certified in Early Childhood Development, will be the preschool teacher.

“She has taught first grade in our district for four years and is a great asset to our district,” Hinojosa said.

Central Heights has gotten help and cooperation from Ottawa and Osawatomie school districts in setting up the preschool, he said.

The program was recommended by Jean McCally, Ottawa assistant superintendent, Hinojosa said.

“We’ve had some great help from great people,” he said.

Of course, all parents can help their children by reading to them, he said.

Reading is one of the most important things students must learn early to be successful in school, he said.

Reading also builds strong bond between parents and their children. Hinojosa said some of his happiest times have been reading to his son.

For more information, call Hinojosa at the school at (785) 869-3355, ext. 305.