/Jackson Public Schools receives $9 million pre-K grant

Jackson Public Schools receives $9 million pre-K grant

Nonprofit Mississippi News: The state has awarded $9 million to Jackson Public School District for pre-kindergarten expansion. This will allow them to reach more 4-year-olds within the city. The state’s early learning collaboratives program provides the grant. These pre-K programs are made up of partnerships between school districts, Head Start agencies and childcare centers. Although the state’s early-learning collaboratives have received high quality marks in national reports, they have been criticised for having limited access. JPS will provide additional services for 460 students. This collaborative is part of an effort to double the number students in the state by 2022. In August, there will be 30 collaborations serving over 6,000 children in the state. The Jackson collaborative is comprised of JPS, Jackson State University’s Lottie W.Thornton Early Childhood Centre, Little Saints Academy and Hinds County Human Resource Agency, Head Start provider Hinds County. The school will be able to serve approximately 1,226 students. Michael Cormack, JPS deputy superintendent, stated that the collaborative was designed to increase access to the same quality pre-K programs at schools and provide professional development and resourcing to both sides. The state’s “Mississippi Beginnings,” pre-K curriculum will be used by the collaborative. Professional development opportunities will be held once per month on Saturdays. This grant will enable the district to pay teachers for additional time. Other childcare professionals who are not part of the collaborative will be able to attend the trainings. JPS Superintendent ErrickGreene stated in a statement that the grant will allow more students to achieve success at school. Cormack stated that the expansion will remove the need to consider financial need and waiting lists, which were previously part of JPS’s pre-K admissions process. The district is actively enrolling students in the program and is recruiting teachers. It is also trying to encourage parents to register early to plan ahead. Cormack stated that Jackson’s addition will make the program the largest collaborative, and will allow the state to scale up its efforts. We hope that, as we prove the concept and show that pre-kindergarten is effective, we will be able to help build the capacity to provide services for all four-year olds in the state. This is part of our challenge. We want to show what’s possible.