Pennridge School District. (Credit: Pennridge School District)
The Pennridge School Board Monday, Feb. 26 unanimously approved a full-day kindergarten program at all district elementary schools.
The program will be phased in over the course of two years, with a lottery system to select students for the full-day program in the 2025-2026 school year followed by a universal full-day program in the 2026-2027 school year.
Currently, the district offers half-day a.m. and p.m. kindergarten programs in each elementary building. Targeted full-day programs are offered for students who require additional services but not necessarily in their home school, requiring many students to be bussed across the district.
The new full-day program would dissolve the targeted programs and absorb affected students into the regular academic population. Those students will maintain access to special services throughout the school day, said school officials.
At Monday’s meeting, board members championed the program as a benefit to working parents, while highlighting the advantages of the phased-in approach.
“The majority of parents want full-day,” said board member Carolyn Sciarrino. “It’s a wonderful choice for us, especially as we plan on doing it, which is rolling it out next year, seeing what all the kinks are, and then the following year, [implementing it] for everybody.”
While backing the program, board members Ricki Chaikin and Jordan Blomgren expressed an interest in maintaining the half-day option for interested parents.
“There’s a significant percentage of parents who, in order to send their kid to half-day kindergarten, would have to do private and pay for it,” said Chaikin, adding, “I think it’s gonna be great for families. I would love to see both options down the road.”
Registration for the program will be sent out shortly, said the board, with the option to select the lottery system for full-day kindergarten as well as half-day kindergarten.
The board hired Dr. Jennifer Bloom as curriculum director with responsibility for teaching, learning and assessment for a three-year term at an annual salary of $175,000 and Mr. Craig Bramble as director of operations at an annual salary of $125,806. Bloom currently serves as an elementary principal in the New Hope-Solebury school district, while Bramble currently serves as Pennridge’s assistant director of operations.
The next Pennridge school board meeting is on March 24 at 7 p.m. For more information, visit pennridge.org.
