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Date: 9/17/2015
HOLYOKE – Partnerships between public schools and private organizations led Holyoke to be to one of the five communities to receive federal monies administered by the state for an expansion of preschool classes, according to Gov. Charlie Baker.
Through collaboration between the city’s schools Holyoke Chicopee Springfield Head Start and the Valley Opportunity Council, the city now has room for 78 more 4-year olds in a pre-school program.
The program runs the full year and operates between eight to 10 hours a day. The program is free features low teacher to student ratios and the use of highly credentialed educators.
The other communities supported by the $14 million award in the pilot program were Boston, Lawrence, Lowell and Springfield.
The Lt. Clayre P. Sullivan School is one of the locations for the new classrooms and Baker visited it on Sept. 15. He was greeted by a performance by cello playing students and then sat on the floor in one preschool class to read the book “I Like Myself.”
Baker said the pilot program provides “a great opportunity” for students to develop reading skills before entering kindergarten.
Mayor Alex Morse noted the importance of third graders reading at grade level as an indicator of future success in school and said the percentage of reading proficiency at that grade had been as low as 13 percent. He added the number has increased and sees the new expanded pre-school programs as “model for the Commonwealth.”
Tom Weber, the Early Education and Care commissioner, said the program is “quite pioneering.”
Steve Huntley, executive director of the Valley Opportunity Council, said one of the advantages of the program is how teachers are learning what the children need and making improvements to it as they go along.
Janis Santos, executive director of Holyoke Chicopee Springfield Head Start, said, “This is such an important time for 4-year-olds in Holyoke."