Jefferson School District to shift 4K classrooms to Early Learning Center, expand Head Start partnership
May 07, 2024 | Jefferson School District, School Districts, Wisconsin
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Missus Volk, a 4K presenter for the Jefferson School District, told the board the district will move primary 4K classrooms to the Jefferson Early Learning Center at East while retaining a 4K site at Sullivan for the 2024-25 school year.
"We are moving over to in town 1 Jefferson Early Learning Center, and that's gonna be at East. And that's gonna have AM and PM classrooms, and then we'll still have our 4 k at Sullivan," Missus Volk said. She described AM sessions running 8 to 11:10 a.m. and PM sessions from 11:50 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Thursday.
The change follows a decision to right-size offerings after lower enrollment this year and to partner with Head Start so families can access full-day options at the East center. "We will still offer the option of that full day programming through a partnership with Head Start, and Head Start will have a classroom at the Jefferson Learning Center, which is at East," Missus Volk said.
District staff outlined how placements will be distributed across classrooms to avoid concentrating Head Start-eligible students in a single class. Missus Volk said enrollment rose from the mid-70s during the year to 82 students currently projected for next year: "I'm happy to report that today, we're at 82 enrolled for next year." She estimated the district s 4K capacity target is about 90 students and that sections at East and Sullivan will fill.
Other operational changes described to the board included assigning three high-quality 4K teachers across the sites, moving paraprofessional schedules to Monday through Thursday to maintain the district s 18-to-2 staffing ratio, maintaining a free shuttle to licensed day cares inside district boundaries, and continuing wrap-around care through Kids Space at parent expense.
On curriculum and assessment, Missus Volk said the district will keep a play-based creative curriculum, maintain daily interest-area play, use Jolly Phonics and a four-day shared reading plan, and has shifted literacy screening to FastBridge pending state decisions. She also noted the 4K team is using NextPath as the district s data warehouse for formative assessment data.
Board members asked clarifying questions about section counts and how many enrolled students qualify for Head Start; Missus Volk estimated roughly 20 to 21 Head Start-eligible students among those enrolled and described plans to distribute placements across classrooms.
The board did not take formal action on the 4K plan during the meeting; the presentation served to inform the 2024-25 operational setup and staffing.
"We are moving over to in town 1 Jefferson Early Learning Center, and that's gonna be at East. And that's gonna have AM and PM classrooms, and then we'll still have our 4 k at Sullivan," Missus Volk said. She described AM sessions running 8 to 11:10 a.m. and PM sessions from 11:50 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Thursday.
The change follows a decision to right-size offerings after lower enrollment this year and to partner with Head Start so families can access full-day options at the East center. "We will still offer the option of that full day programming through a partnership with Head Start, and Head Start will have a classroom at the Jefferson Learning Center, which is at East," Missus Volk said.
District staff outlined how placements will be distributed across classrooms to avoid concentrating Head Start-eligible students in a single class. Missus Volk said enrollment rose from the mid-70s during the year to 82 students currently projected for next year: "I'm happy to report that today, we're at 82 enrolled for next year." She estimated the district s 4K capacity target is about 90 students and that sections at East and Sullivan will fill.
Other operational changes described to the board included assigning three high-quality 4K teachers across the sites, moving paraprofessional schedules to Monday through Thursday to maintain the district s 18-to-2 staffing ratio, maintaining a free shuttle to licensed day cares inside district boundaries, and continuing wrap-around care through Kids Space at parent expense.
On curriculum and assessment, Missus Volk said the district will keep a play-based creative curriculum, maintain daily interest-area play, use Jolly Phonics and a four-day shared reading plan, and has shifted literacy screening to FastBridge pending state decisions. She also noted the 4K team is using NextPath as the district s data warehouse for formative assessment data.
Board members asked clarifying questions about section counts and how many enrolled students qualify for Head Start; Missus Volk estimated roughly 20 to 21 Head Start-eligible students among those enrolled and described plans to distribute placements across classrooms.
The board did not take formal action on the 4K plan during the meeting; the presentation served to inform the 2024-25 operational setup and staffing.
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