Aiken County Public Schools launched a 10-week evening developmental program in January to help pre-kindergarten students prepare for school.
Data gathered following the program’s completion and feedback from parents showed that students who participated in the program experienced growth in a number of measurable skill areas, according to a news release from the district.
“We saw encouraging growth with the students and the feedback we received from our parents and teachers really confirmed the data we collected measuring student skills before and after the program. We are thrilled these students are more prepared than ever for school in August,” said Jennifer Stark, Early Learning Programs coordinator for Aiken County Public Schools.
The program was held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings between January 29 and April 4. Students were instructed using the district’s current 4k curriculum. They also were provided with a snack and an evening meal. District pre-kindergarten teachers led classroom instruction, and early childhood college graduates served as teaching assistants.
The program began at 4:15 p.m. each scheduled day and was held at Millbrook Elementary School, Mossy Creek Elementary School, Gloverville Elementary School, Jefferson Elementary School, Busbee Elementary School, Ridge Spring-Monetta Elementary School, Greendale Elementary School and Redcliffe Elementary School.
The program served about 100 total students, with an average of 60 students per week.
Before the program started, and again following the completion of the program, students were assessed in a number of key skill areas, such as recognizing upper and lowercase letters and identifying shapes and colors. The results of the post-program were quite positive, according to the release.
Read the full Aiken Standard article HERE.