ECS among districts to receive state VPK funding

Published 4:28 pm Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Since 2005, the State of Tennessee Department of Education has placed an emphasis in making sure youth were prepared before heading to school.
Tennessee Education Commissioner Candice McQueen announced in May that 18,340 students in 917 classrooms in the state will benefit from the department’s Voluntary Pre-K (VPK) program during the 2017-18 school year.
Elizabethton City School System was able to receive VPK funding for a second year with the primary state allocation totalling $400,704. The Carter County School System was also among the district to receive funding.
“These programs are absolutely essential for our students. Pre-K helps level the playing field,” said Dr. Corey Gardenhour, director of schools for the city.
According to information provided by the Department, the application process was strengthened this year “to ensure the program provides children with a high quality opportunity to develop school readiness skills and a strong foundation for learning.” The Department added that nearly 95 percent of districts in Tennessee will receive VPK funding designed to serve 4-year-olds who are at-risk.
With stricter guidelines in place, the director of schools thanked faculty members for coming together to acquire the funding — which would go to benefit the Wandell Early Learning Center, located on Siam Road in Elizabethton.
“We are so proud of our folks who wrote letters and assisted Mr. (Eddie) Pless with the writing of the grant. Mrs. (Susan) Dugger and Mrs. (Rhonda) Taylor, two teachers in the WELC program, also helped in the writing of the grant.”
Changes to this year’s grant formula for funding include:
• Full enrollment in programs serving the highest-need students
• Use of quality curriculum to the Tennessee Early Learning Development Standards for 4-year-olds
• Daily schedule that maximizes instructional time, minimizes transitions and contributes to children’s healthy growth and development
• Use of student data to improve instruction
• Use of student outcome data to improve instruction
• Frequent classroom observations with job-embedded support for Pre-K teachers
• Family outreach to maximize enrollment and support at-home learning.
During May’s announcement, Commissioner McQueen stressed the importance of making an investment for the youth of Tennessee.
“High-quality learning opportunities are one of the best investments we can make in our kids,” the commissioner said in a statement released to the Elizabethton Star. “We want to ensure we are supporting strong early learning opportunities for our students with the greatest need, and that is reflected in the updated application process and in these grantees.”
The Wandell Early Learning Center, which was recently dedicated this year to honor retired East Side Principal Dr. Josh Wandell, works with Pre-K age children to allow a smooth transition before heading into one of the three elementary schools within the school system: East Side, Harold McCormick and West Side.
Since the 1970s, the WELC has operated with one director and four teachers gearing their efforts to serve roughly 80 children.
And with the assistance from the grant, Dr. Gardenhour said the future looks bright for children in the city.
“The success attainment of the grant will translate into more children being ready to start school next year,” he said.

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