This story originally appeared in the March 24 issue of the Community Voice. For your personal subscription, call 270-384-9454.
Wes Irvin and Andrea Irvin are in their final push to get ready for parents to register their children for a spot in next year’s Headstart, preschool and kindergarten classes. The school year seems to be flying by.
The first day of registration will be April 15 at the Adair County Primary Center. There will also be registration days on April 22 and April 29 for Headstart and preschool.
“We feel like there are students out there we could be serving that we are not,” said Wes Irvin, preschool director for Adair County. “It may be parent choice, or it may be that we need to educate the parent as to what we can offer in preschool. The goal for preschool is that when they go to kindergarten, they will be kindergarten ready.”
“We screen our kindergarten students the first week of school to see if they are kindergarten ready,” said Andrea Irvin, ACPC counselor. “Our numbers have gone down the past several years.”
Registration for kindergarten will be from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., while registration for Head- start and preschool will be from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Kindergarten registration will be in the library, while preschool and Headstart registration each week will take place through Door 13 at ACPC. Parents are being asked to park near that door to help with traffic.
“The first thing we did to try and turn those low numbers around was take preschool from two days a week to four,” Wes Irvin said. “Now, we are trying to go from four classrooms to five class- rooms.”
Andrea Irvin said if any parents can’t make the scheduled registration day she will work with them.
“If any parents won’t be available during any of the registration times, they can contact me at the school 270-384-3367 or by email at andrea. [email protected],us. com,” she said. “I will be happy to stay after school or meet them during their lunch break to reg- ister their child for kindergarten.”
“I would recommend to any parent with a 3- or 4-year-old to at least register your child to allow us to screen them,” said Wes Irvin. “When they register, we will set up a day to be screened. Kindergarten will be screened the day of registration.”
Students must be three or four years old by Aug. 1 to qualify for Headstart or preschool. Children three years of age must have a disability to qualify, while four-year-olds can qualify on income or with a disability. Stu- dents can qualify for kindergarten by turning five years of age on or before Aug. 1. No income regulations must be met for kindergarten students.
“It is so important to get children registered for preschool and kindergarten. We can get the children the services they need to help better prepare them for kindergarten Preschool sets a good foundation for students,” Wes Irvin said.
Preschool students are getting a similar experience as a kindergartner. They are in school all day, fed breakfast and lunch. There are morning meetings, and story time. The curriculum Adair County uses come with activities. The students learn by learning reading and the sounds that go with it. Pre- schoolers also get a nap.
“Kindergarten is a lot more structured. Pre- school learns through play,” Andrea Irvin said. “Everything is hands-on learning. Every class- room has a morning meeting, then there is center circle work in the morning and in the after- noon. The students have calendar time, recess every day, and a 10-minute movement break.”
Wes Irvin suggested all parents make sure they bring a list of items to be prepared for registration. That list includes birth certificate, report from a physical, eye exam results, proof of income, and up-to-date immunization records. The information can be emailed to the schools or brought to the night of registration.
By Scott Wilson
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