West Irondequoit CSD
DETAILS ON NEW PRE-K PROGRAM OFFERED
JULY 20, 2022
The West Irondequoit Central School District, in partnership with Forever Friends Childcare, is excited to announce a Pre-Kindergarten program for the 2022-23 school year. It will provide a safe, nurturing environment for students to explore, be creative and develop social/emotional and academic skills to prepare them for their K-12 education.
Last spring, WICSD sent a Request For Proposal (RFP) to all qualified community-based childcare organizations seeking potential partnerships for this program. It received one response from Forever Friends Childcare, 95 Stanton Lane in Irondequoit.
Children who are at least 4 years old by Dec. 1, 2022 are eligible for this program, which will receive New York state funding. Parents/guardians of prospective students must complete the form at this link – Lottery Link – by Monday, Aug. 1st to be considered for the 2022-23 school year. Families who apply will be notified of status during the second week of August. Class size is expected to be about 18 students and the school day 6½ hours.
FAQ (FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS)
What is Pre-K? Pre-Kindergarten is a developmental educational program for West Irondequoit 4-year-olds focused on play-based learning, social emotional skills, verbal and physical growth, literacy, numeracy in a culturally responsive environment.
Who is eligible? All children who are 4 years old by December 1st of the upcoming school year and live in the West Irondequoit CSD.
Is the program half day or full day? Full day (6½ hours), 5 days a week from 8:30 AM—3 PM. The Pre-K program at Forever Friends runs concurrent to the West Irondequoit CSD calendar, so when our K-12 students have off from school, there are no Pre-K classes.
Is transportation provided? The school district does not provide transportation for Pre-K. This is the responsibility of the family.
Where is Pre-K held in the district? We have partnered with Forever Friends, 95 Stanton Lane, for the 2022-23 school year. This is the only location where West Irondequoit Pre-K is available this school year.
Is there a cost associated with the program? No, there is no cost. Note: If a family requires before or after-school care, that is managed independently from the school district.
Is this a Pre-K or UPK (Universal Pre-K) program? No, it is not universal Pre-K for all. Through NYS funding, we are awarded a certain number of student slots for Pre-Kindergarten. When we are able to fully maximize the funding, we would be able to support 75 4-year-old students through UPK funding to attend Pre-K. For the 2022-23 school year, we are able to partner with one community-based organization (Forever Friends) and do not have any room on our current campus to provide additional Pre-K classes. So for this year, the number of slots we can support is closer to about 20. We hope to expand this number after this school year as we grow into a UPK program!
Could WICSD host its own UPK or Pre-K classes? Yes, that is the long-range plan, and the district thanks and appreciates the support of the community for that. In last May’s district vote, residents resoundingly passed (81%) a proposition for the district to acquire the former Pinegrove Senior Center located at 154 Pinegrove Ave., adjacent to the district’s Helmer Nature Center. The WICSD is in the process of purchasing the Pinegrove building from the Town of Irondequoit and expects to renovate and repurpose it to add classrooms for HNC and UPK.
More questions? Contact the WICSD Office of Instruction at (585) 336-2981 or email christina_miga@westiron.monroe.edu.
West Irondequoit CSD
Email: public_info@westiron.monroe.edu
Website: https://westirondequoit.org/
Location: 321 List Avenue, Irondequoit, NY, USA
Phone: 585-342-5500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WestIrondequoitCSD
Twitter: @WestIrondequoit