Batavia adding to kindergarten options

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Updated: January 29, 2012 2:34AM

The Batavia School District will offer free full-day kindergarten to at-risk students next school year, while parents of mainstream kindergartners will be able to enroll their children in an enrichment program run in schools by the Batavia Park District.

The Board of Education approved a plan to expand the WHEEL at-risk intervention program from one school to four. That program probably will operate at Louise White, Hoover-Wood, Storm and Nelson elementary schools, said Chief Academic Officer Brad Newkirk. At-risk kindergartners from Gustafson and McWayne elementary schools would be bused to the nearest WHEEL location.

“We will define the WHEEL needs of each school so that we transport as few students as possible,” Newkirk said. “Now we’re transporting many students to one WHEEL class, so this will cut down our transportation costs.”

The district also will change the way it identifies at-risk kindergartners. Instead of assigning some students to WHEEL classes based on pre-kindergarten screening results, officials will place all kindergartners in half-day kindergarten at the start of the school year, then spend eight weeks identifying which students lack basic classroom skills and giving them extra help. Any students who are still considered at-risk after eight weeks will start attending WHEEL classes during the half day that they aren’t in kindergarten.

Kindergarten classes will resume special subjects next year, though not as often as they once held them. Students will receive 40 minutes per week of music, art or physical education class in a system in which they’ll spend 12 weeks in each program.

The Park District will operate a new half-day enrichment program. Morning kindergarten students can sign up for the afternoon enrichment, while afternoon kindergarten students can enroll in the morning enrichment session, creating a full-day kindergarten experience. Enrichment sessions will be held at each elementary school. The cost has not been fixed, but Park District officials estimate it will be $270 per month plus a $100 annual registration fee.