Primer on Pre-k Programs

Georgia is one of only four states that has a universal pre-kindergarten program, but the program is not offered by Gwinnett County schools.  

Instead, pre-school programs are offered at private daycares and churches. Daycare programs are part of Georgia’s Bright from the Start initiative. 

An exception to the program existing in public elementary schools is made for special needs students. This program is funded 75 percent locally and 25 percent from federal and state funds. 

Pre-kindergarten (pre-k) is funded by the lottery in the state of Georgia. Changes made by Gov. Nathan Deal to the program earlier this year added an additional 5,000 slots for Georgia pre-k students. The waiting list in all of Georgia was more than 9,000 students long.  There are now 86,000 slots. 

The classes are 6.5 hours long with 180 school days. However, next year the school year will only be 160 days due to budget cuts. After a recent budget cut of $54 million, the total funding is now $300,632,586. 

Still, a recent study by the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University shows that Georgia plummeted to 20th place in state money spend per child at $4,206. The state's standing has steadily dropped over the past few years. 

Other recently made changes the the state's pre-k program include a 10 percent cut in salary for pre-k teachers and 306 classroom closings in the entire state, including 19 in Gwinnett County.  Factors involved in determining which classrooms will close include voluntary submission, low rosters, probation status and current enrollment numbers. Classrooms will increase their sizes to 22 students each. 

“We have not had confirmation that we will be required to have a 22-student classroom size,” said Kids R Kids pre-school director, Lisa Tuggle. There are currently 128 students enrolled in her program, 40 of which are in the pre-k classes.  There are two classrooms with 20 students each and two teachers.  

Because it is lottery funded, parents of pre-k students in these programs only pay for before- and after-school care. 

Long waiting list force programs to use a lottery system of their own and randomly select students. Students that already attend Kids R Kids do not have to go on the waiting list. 

The state-sponsored pre-k program uses curriculum issued by Bright from the Start, as well as a Kids R Kids curriculum. And, in most church sponsored pre-K classes, classes are four hours instead of the typical 6.5 hours in the daycare setting.  

“A half-day program is a great option for children who may have an early birthday or if they have a slight learning delay,” said Terry Manuel, former director of Redeemer Preschool at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Snellville.

The curriculum in kindergarten in Gwinnett County is what was formerly used in first grade nearly a decade ago. Because of this, pre-k students learn what used to be kindergarten material.  

Despite the increase in learning material, Manuel said that “the most important skills for the child to know are to work independently, have self confidence and be able to follow directions.” 

In addition, “the students learn the sounds of all the letters of the alphabet and learn a different letter a week, said Lynn Cooper, current director of Redeemer Preschool. "They build fine motor skills.” 

One of the ways they build motor skills is by drawing letters in creative ways, including with play-dough and Bright Lights. Different books are used each week to focus on the new letters. For math, they learn number chunks and a curriculum called Everyday Math.  

Snellville United Methodist houses a preschool called the Early Learning Program and Kindergarten.  They have served the Snellville community for 27 years.  They use the WEE Learn curriculum, published by Lifeway, as well as Handwriting Without Tears.  There are five pre-k classes with 13-16 students with two teachers each.  

Class size is one the primary differences between pre-k in private pre-schools and the ones in a daycare setting. 

Terry Manuel, who previously taught preschool at Redeemer Presbyterian Church, believes the few years children have at home before attending first grade are the the most-important ones.

Manuel suggested a number of things to do with children to prepare them for school: 

• Read as much as you can together; talk about signs on the road and words on containers of food.
• Make up stories with your children.
• Assign them tasks like setting the table.
• Make every activity a learning activity; count out four plates for the table along with four forks and glasses.
• Make your children follow two-step instructions, like “pick up your shoes and place them in your closet.”
• Do not give in to what your children want immediately.  Teach them patience.
• Give them opportunities to share their belongings.
• Social skills are critical, so teach your children how to relate to others. This does not come naturally. 

For a list of lottery funded pre-kindergarten classes in the 30078 zipcode, click here. For Snellville’s 30039 ZIP code, click here.  

Visit http://www.decal.ga.gov/ for more information on Georgia’s Bright from the Start program.