It is the first day of school for hundreds of students in Attala County as schools go back in session this week.
In addition, there is a new crop of youngsters donning backpacks in Kosciusko as Kosciusko School District officially launches its new free pre-kindergarten program. Approximately 140 4-year-olds will head to seven new classrooms, expanding from one pilot class last year.
“We saw a need in the community after our local head start closed,” Lower Elementary principal Michelle Nowell said. “With this program we wanted to be able to reach as many children as we could.”
Kosciusko was one of 66 districts around the state to launch a pilot program after the passage of the Early Collaborative Act of 2013, which provides funding to local communities to establish, expand and support early childhood education and development services. However, state funds are limited, and that is where Barksdale Reading Institute stepped in. The institute will provide partial funding in an attempt to explore early education techniques that will support its mission of improving Mississippi students’ pre-literacy and reading skills.
“Pre-K is up and coming among public schools in Mississippi and has shown great success,” Nowell added. “Any studies that you look at will back up that the younger the child is at starting their education process, the more successful that child will be in the long run.”
The district is hoping that fully installing the pre-kindergarten program will continue to help build the early growth of children in the district after the head start program closed in Kosciusko last year. The kindergarten program at the Lower Elementary has been graded as the top in the state for two straight years.
Unfortunately, delays in construction postponed the installation of the seven modular units before the start of the school year. However, steps have been taken to house students inside Lower Elementary until the modular units are installed in the coming weeks.
Nowell said knowing the district is investing in early education makes her feel better, not only about her students, but also about her community.
“This program is important to provide a free pre-k program to families in Kosciusko, and it also sets a higher standard for our children,” Nowell said. “The 140 children in our pre-k program will already be working towards achieving the state standards before they start kindergarten.”
