This year, more children will ride bikes around Gilroy’s state
preschool playground located on the campuses of two elementary
schools. More students will sift their hands through the sandbox,
line up to choose a piece of fruit to go with a healthy meal and
learn how to count.
Gilroy – This year, more children will ride bikes around Gilroy’s state preschool playground located on the campuses of two elementary schools. More students will sift their hands through the sandbox, line up to choose a piece of fruit to go with a healthy meal and learn how to count.
The Gilroy Unified School District was able to accommodate 218 preschool students last week, 78 more than it could in 2006-’07. The increased opportunity for 3- and 4-year-olds to enjoy low-cost half-day preschool classes this year is thanks to more than $1 million secured through grants by Sheryll Ebbs, the work of community organizations and funding from state and national agencies.
Ebbs doubles as the Gilroy Unified School District’s early education and family literacy administrator and as family literacy administrator for First 5, a state program that oversees preschool in the district. Hired in August 2005 to close out a program that educated preschoolers and their families, Ebbs instead won seven grants that could be worth more than $4 million. The money will improve state preschool facilities and almost double the number of district students that attend.
“It’s good news,” trustee Pat Midtgaard said of the preschool and its expansion. “I think certainly we need it. It certainly gives the kids a better foundation as they enter kindergarten.”
The $1 million in grant money is earmarked for creating four classes to accommodate 80 additional preschoolers and providing testing, care and instruction. The five grants that contribute these funds are renewable, meaning they will be available the next four years if the administering agencies are satisfied with how the money is used.
Ebbs also secured a one-time $225,000 grant, of which $50,000 has been used for furniture and class materials. The remainder will be used to renovate the district charter school, El Portal Leadership Academy, when it relocates in January. When the state preschool moves in, it will house 130 of the about 220 preschool students.
Preschool can be a valuable boost to students, as it teaches them to socialize and get used to routines they will encounter in later grades, Ebbs said. Because students who are poor, English learners or have special needs often have the most to catch up in order to be on par with other students, they are given priority in the preschool admissions process, Ebbs said.
“You’re already starting the groundwork at 3 and 4 years old with these children,” she said.
Elementary school teachers appreciate this groundwork, regardless of whether the student is particularly at-risk of falling behind academically or socially, said 18-year kindergarten teacher Marilynn Dumlao.
“The preschool children are so much better prepared,” she said. “We see that they are able to sit and listen better, that they have social interaction skills.”
Parents have been recognizing the benefits of preschool and have been taking advantage of the discounted and free services of the state. The preschool had a waiting list of students last year and is likely to have a list this year, Ebbs said. Gilroy parents electing private childcare face a shortage of available facilities, with prices reaching up to $10,000 per year, according to a 2007 report by Working Partnerships.
The preschool’s expansion is a good start, but as childcare prices rise and the district’s enrollment continues to expand by 2 percent annually, there is still work to be done, Glen View preschool site supervisor Martha Centeno said. As the district fights to raise state standardized test scores, the preschool’s role is ever as important, she said.
“The standards are so high now,” she said. “A lot of it is knowing how to sit and listen.”
