Kosciusko Lower Elementary School’s pre-k program got a big boost this week when the Mississippi State Board of Education (SBE) voted to add it to the state’s list of early learning collaboratives (ELC).
The designation brings $1,050,000 to the local pre-k program over the next two and a half years. The program will receive $350,000 for the rest of the FY22 school year, $350,000 for the FY23 school year, and the final $350,000 for the FY24 school year.
Kosciusko Superintendent of Schools Billy Ellzey said the grant will help improve the educational foundation of young learners.
“We are so excited to be awarded the pre-k collaborative grant and the opportunity it will provide to continue our outstanding pre-k program. We look forward to collaborating with our local Head Start and others to provide a great educational foundation for the children of Kosciusko,” he said. “I am so thankful for the work of Dr. Nowell and her team in writing this grant to provide for the future of pre-k education in Kosciusko.”
KLE Principal Dr. Michelle Nowell applied for the grant after the state issued a request for proposals in October. She said the money will be used to fund the existing program and make improvements to it. The pre-k serves about 140 students per year in the pre-k village on the lower elementary school campus.
The state grant monies will greatly reduce the burden of funding the program currently born the local district budget.
“We're just so excited that we're getting this grant and we won't be taking money from our school district…. the state's actually putting money in the program. That’s just the best news ever,” said Nowell. “Within this grant, it's teacher salaries, assistant salaries, but there's also money in there for some new and innovative technology.”
Nowell agreed with Ellzey that grant monies will help strengthen the partnership between Head Start and the pre-k program.
“We're excited about the partnership that we will have with Head Start. The collaboration with them, I feel, is going to be huge for our community,” she said.
In addition to salaries, the pre-K program will be able to purchase new iPads and innovative classroom furnishings, like tables with whiteboard tops that are easily moved around, and alternative seating for children.
Nowell said she is proud of what the district has accomplished in early childhood education and that its success is one of the main reasons it received the grant. The funding will also help the district prepare for the future, she said.
“I feel like — for stability — we won't have to wonder about where the funding is coming from (for the program) each year. But also, I feel like we have a successful program, MDE recognized that, and that is why we were granted the award,” she said. “I feel like this does put us on the map. And especially with the President talking about universal pre-k we’re ahead of the game.”
What are ELCs?
The five newly-approved programs — including Kosciusko, Brookhaven, Rankin County, Scott and South Panola — join the current list of 18 intended to provide high-quality early childhood education pre-K programs to 4-year-old students across the state.
According to a press release from the Mississippi Department of Education, the ELC expansion is made possible by $6.3 million in state funds and once these five are completely operational, the state’s ELCs will serve up to 3,200 new pre-K students, bringing the total number of ELC students statewide to more than 6,000. State funding has continued to increase for the ELC program with $8 million in 2020-21 and $16 million for 2021-22, bringing the state’s total appropriation to $55.5 million since the 2014-15 school year.
The Early Learning Collaborative Act of 2013 established the ELC program, which provides funding to local communities to establish, expand, support and facilitate the successful implementation of quality pre-K early childhood education and development services, the press release states.
The stated goal of establishing ELCs is to better prepare preschoolers for kindergarten. In 2019, pre-K students in the state’s ELCs maintained gains on the pre-kindergarten readiness assessment. Among ELC students, 76.9% met the end-of-year target score, compared to 69.4% of students in other public pre-K classrooms, which included a variety of class configurations, including Title I, self-contained special education and other school district pre-K programs.
The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) first recognized Mississippi for its ELC program in 2015 as one of only five states that met all 10 of its quality standards. In 2021, NIEER recognized Mississippi as one of only six states that met all quality standards for pre-K.
“When early learning collaboratives increase in Mississippi, it means more of our state’s preschoolers will have access to a quality early childhood education,” said Dr. Carey Wright, state superintendent of education. “Academic and developmental success begin early on, and I’m thankful state lawmakers recognize the need to continually invest in this program.”
