The Mount Laurel Board of Education swore in three members and addressed continuing efforts to expland free, full-day preschool at a reorganization meeting on Jan. 2.
Taking the oath for three-year terms were incumbent Jonathan Paradise and newcomers Jade Moustakas and Sapna Rustagi, all of whom ran unopposed in the November election and are parents of Mount Laurel students.
Both Danielle Stuffo and Melissa DeClementi were unanimously appointed the board’s president and vice president, respectively.
”We look forward to working with (the two new board members),” School Superintendent Dr. George Rafferty said. “We’re very happy with the composition of our board and the members that are serving.”
The district’s immediate focus is preparing for preschool lottery registration for the 2024-‘25 school year. The program is now in its second year of state funding first awarded in September of 2022.
The Preschool Expansion Aid enabled the district to offer free, universal full-day preschool for all eligible 3- and 4-year-olds. The program started with 11 classrooms and is now entering year three of funding; plans are in progress to expand to 37 classrooms in September. That will result in the district increasing enrollment to nearly 555 preschoolers in what it describes as a high-quality program.
”(The district is) a preschool expansion district, so we’ve been awarded state aid in order to provide universal preschool to our whole community,” Rafferty explained.
He noted that the district is adding more classrooms every year through partnerships with local day-care providers. But since the district estimates it will enroll about 800 township 3- and 4-year-olds, it must run a lottery until there is sufficient capacity for them.
“In our first year, (the district) started with 11 classrooms,” Rafferty pointed out. “This year, we’ll have 25, and next year we’ll be up to 37 classrooms. We’re still not going be at the capacity where we’ll be able to offer every child pre-K, so we have to run a lottery.”
Lottery registration opened on Jan. 8 and has a deadline of Friday, March 15. The lottery drawing is scheduled for noon on Wednesday, March 20; the results and a video recording will be posted on the district’s website at mtlaurelschools.org. Students not selected in the lottery will be placed on a wait list.
The district will hold a preschool information session for the public at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 30, in the Thomas E. Harrington Middle School auditorium. Interested parents are encouraged to attend to learn more about the program.
“(Expanding the preschool program) is a major priority for (the district) going into the new year,” Rafferty noted. “There’s a large amount of preparation and planning that has to go into making sure all the classrooms we’re adding are up and running – well-staffed with certified teachers – and that there are budgets in place for providers to operate and pay the expenses needed to run a high-quality pre-K program.”
Parents who suspect their preschool-age child may have special needs may obtain free help from the district’s Child Study Team of professionals who work with families to locate and provide services for those children who are 3 to 5 years old with physical, cognitive, language, social, or emotional difficulties. Screening, professional guidance and placement in a preschool educational program (if needed) are all free through the team by calling (856) 235-3417.
Additional information is available on the NJDOE Project Child Find, a free referral and awareness service of the state education department to help identify children from birth through 21 who may experience difficulties in academic, and/or physical, emotional and cognitive areas that resulting in a disability. For more information, call (800) 322-8174.
Children under 3 who demonstrate delays in development are eligible for free services and support programs. Contact Early Intervention Services toll free at (888) 653-4463. For more information, visit the school district’s preschool website.
