Preschools

Experts: Plenty of preschools available

By Rick McCrabb
Staff Writer
BUTLER COUNTY —
Early childhood educators say there are too many options available in Middletown for parents not to enroll their children in a preschool program.

There are more than 20 preschools that offer Middletown City Schools District students an educational program before they enter kindergarten. Research also shows the students enrolled in preschool will score higher on a state-mandated test and fare better than those who don’t take preschool classes, experts said.

Three of the preschool programs in Middletown are held in district elementaries: Amanda, Creekview and Rosa Parks and are operated by the Butler County Educational Service Center (BCESC). There also are preschool programs offered in local churches, day care centers, John XXIII, and in homes. Prices for the preschool classes vary, but for some Middletown families who qualify for financial assistance, the programs are free.

Parents who are considering sending their children directly from their homes to kindergarten need to understand the research, experts said.

They said results from the 2013 Kindergarten Readiness Assessment-Literacy (KRA-L) — a standardized literacy screen administered to kindergarten students — indicated those with a documented preschool experience scored higher (18.30) on the test than those with no experience (15.21), according to the BCESC.

The assessment is mandated by the Ohio Department of Education for all kindergartners, said Suzanne Prescott, director of Early Childhood Programs at the BCESC. She said students take the test the first month of the school year and it measures six elements or essential indicators of early literacy success: answering questions, sentence repetition, rhyming production, rhyming identification, letter identification and initial sounds, she said.

She said the KRA-L is not an indicator of how successful children will be in school, but is aimed at determining areas where students may need extra attention so they can get that help as soon as possible.

Students receive a composite score that ranges from 0 to 29. The state measures scores in three categories, with children scoring from 0-13 needing intense instruction, 14-23 needing targeted instruction and 24-29 set for enriching instruction.

In Middletown, 570 students took the KRA-L last year, and 32 percent of them scored between 0 to 13; 42 percent scored 14 to 23; and 25 percent scored 24 t0 29. Middletown’s average was 17.30, while the state average was 20.

There was a direct correlation between test scores, whether the student was enrolled in a preschool program and their family’s financial status, according to the data.

Of the kindergarten students, 67 percent attended preschool programs, and their average KRA-L score was 18.3, which falls within the middle composite score. Those who had no preschool experience scored an average of 15.21.

Of the seven elementary schools in the Middletown district, students from Central Academy (20.32) scored the highest and Rosa Parks (15.42) was the lowest. Central also had the highest percent (73) of students who had a preschool experience and Rosa Parks (52) had the lowest percentage.

Three years ago, when the test was administered, Middletown students scored the second lowest of the 10 school districts in Butler County, according to the ODE. Middletown’s composite score of 17.1 was only higher than New Miami’s 16.9. Ross Local’s 22.1 was the highest in the county.

Since 2006, Middletown’s composite score has risen slightly from its 16.41 in 2006.

The two poorest performing districts in the county, New Miami and Middletown, also had the highest percent of economically disadvantaged students. In New Miami, 99.4 percent were classified as economically disadvantaged, while 71.3 percent were in Middletown. Lakota’s 18.9 percent was the lowest.

Some of the major reasons parents gave for not enrolling their child in preschool: program costs were prohibitive and they didn’t qualify for financial assistance; no programs were available in a convenient location; and no transportation.

But Debbie Houser, curriculum coordinator for the Middletown district, also believes there are too many parents in the district who don’t know about the preschool programs available and the important first step they give students during their educational journey.

She said of the 550 Middletown kindergartners tested during the first few days of school, only 30 percent were considered “ready” for kindergarten. The Success by 6, an initiative from the United Way, hopes to have 85 percent of the kindergartners prepared for school, she said.

Houser, a former kindergarten teacher in Kentucky and Oakwood, a Dayton suburb, said students who take preschool classes are “more at home” in kindergarten, and they handle school functions more easily.

“We can tell right away,” Houser said when asked if there’s a difference between preschool students and those who didn’t take classes. “They do school better.”

Andrea Blevins, principal at Mayfiled Elementary, has a 5-year-old son who took two years of preschool before kindergarten. She said preschool prepared him for the “rigors” of kindergarten and helped him adjust to life away from home.

For parents unable to enroll their children in preschool, the Middletown district offers programs where students can be taught at home, and there are summer programs where families are invited into the school as a way to introduce them to the educational environment.

Nancy Clark, who has taught preschool for more than 20 years at Sunshine Preschool at Breiel Church, said parents who haven’t been in kindergarten since they were students, will be shocked by the curriculum expected of the students.

“This isn’t the kindergarten you and I remember,” she said. “Totally different.”

At Breiel, Clark said children are expected to make advancements in their education and social skills and take responsibility for their actions.

“They need to know that the world is bigger than them,” she said.

Houser said research shows that 90 percent of the brain is formed before a child’s seventh birthday.

“You better capitalize,” Houser said.

There are “very simple things” parents can do to help stimulate their child’s intelligence, Houser said. She said talking and reading to your children should be part of the daily routine in every house.

“That sets them up for success,” she said. “Helps build the foundation for a successful life.”

"The two poorest performing districts in the county, New Miami and Middletown, also had the highest percent of economically disadvantaged students. In New Miami, 99.4 percent were classified as economically disadvantaged, while 71.3 percent were in Middletown. Lakota’s 18.9 percent was the lowest."

There it is, in black and white from and unbiased source. Middletown is sharing the bottom.......but wait....what is facinating is that everytime this is brought to the attention of the "glass is always full/stop being negative/blind as to what is happening academic" crowd, they get defensive and the quills come out because they can't admit that the district is as bad as it is. Same camouflaged nonsense about things are improving is the response every time.

Middletown has 71.3% who are economically disadvantaged so what does this city do? They invite more low income families to town and set them up in Section 8 housing to grow the cancer. Makes absolutely no sense at all to welcome more of what is one of the many causes of this city's collapse. It defies logic to help grow more problems in a city that is drowning in problems.

Look at Lakota's percentage. Doesn't look like they are going out of their way to invite economically disadvantaged families to their area. There is a reason for that and it is rather apparent if you make comparisons between low income saturated communities and those that have little low income.

"Three years ago, when the test was administered, Middletown students scored the second lowest of the 10 school districts in Butler County, according to the ODE. Middletown’s composite score of 17.1 was only higher than New Miami’s 16.9."

But wait, the school board and the Middletown academic world told us that we are on the rebound. Progress is being made and something about some number (value added?) that was improving according to the school board president has assured us that the district is on the upswing.

By this article, it doesn't appear that Middletown schools have made much progress in any subject one wishes to discuss. When will the schools actually admit what is really there and start dealing with the issues at hand? The board has been beaten to splinters while the nail has not been hit once by the hammer. Why does this continue to happen?