Edgar Elementary plans to offer choice of three or five 4K class days in the future
Survey results about the Edgar School District’s 4K program were mostly in favor of offering a four-day program, however, individual comments made on the questionnaire brought up concerns about daycare availability for the remaining one day a week and creating too much structure for youngsters.
After discussing the reasons behind putting out the survey, which had 66 respondents, the Edgar School Board heard about the results at its meeting last Wednesday. Currently, students can attend 4K either two or three days each week, which has its challenges, according to Edgar Elementary staff. With the existing every-other-day arrangement, families often have to seek additional childcare for the off-school days. Staff also said students could benefit from a more stable schedule if the district offered four consecutive days of programming.
The survey results showed just over 74 percent of respondents either strongly or somewhat supported changing the existing program schedule to a four-day offering. There were multiple questions after that one asking for participants to agree or disagree with statements about why the 4K program should be extended. Each question had at least 71 percent of respondents agreeing with reasons such as how the change would “be more supportive of parents/guardians who work during the day” and “it will improve the child’s preparedness for kindergarten.”
Despite the majority of participants stating they would support the potential change to four days, there were several comments that shared concerns about how the increase in classroom time may have negative impacts. Multiple respondents said their current daycare arrangement wouldn’t allow for only one day per week if students were in 4K programming the other four days. Others mentioned worries about overwhelming kids with too much structure and not enough free time spent elsewhere.
“… I understand the appeal of fourday 4K for families with both parents working, but I think such a program would be primarily more convenient for the parents and not necessarily better for the 4-year-old students who need to build up the physical, mental and emotional stamina of being in school full-time multiple days a week,” one participant wrote.
Based on the results of the survey, district officials are now exploring giving parents the choice of either three or five days for 4K programming, according to Edgar Elementary School Principal Lisa Witt.
“The change to five days a week is based on the comments that it would be difficult to find daycare for one day per week,” Witt wrote in an email.
This fall’s incoming 4K class is anticipated to be on the smaller side, which means the district wouldn’t have to add another teacher at this time, according to Witt. She said if the increased programming was to continue into future years, another staff member would be required, as projections show a larger 4K class for the 2024-25 school year.
In other business, the board received an update from District Administrator Cari Guden about the Edgar Area Trail Systems (EATS) group request to build a shed on school property. The structure, proposed to be built on the east side of the tennis courts, would house trail equipment. Guden inquired with the district’s insurer about the request and received a statement with a comment about “a lot of extra liability” for the district if the shed is constructed.
“If the school decides to take on this increased liability, they can expect a significant rate increase, since our rates for schools do not contemplate this added exposure,” the statement from EMC Insurance said.
The board requested Guden ask the insurance company for an estimate of the “significant rate increase.” After a question arose about if EATS could put the shed elsewhere, board member Rebecca Normington said it would be easiest for the storage to be placed on school property near the plowed parking lot.
