By Mark Millican

markmillican@daltoncitizen.com

CHATSWORTH — After 13 years of preparing children for their entry into the world of academics at several locations, the Murray County pre-kindergarten program now has a home.

Wednesday will not only be the first day of school in Murray County but also the first day the Pre-K Center program will be under one roof. The center now has its own wing at Bagley Middle School since the school system’s sixth-graders are returning to the elementary schools.

“We’re looking forward to it,” said Jennifer Jones, the site director. “It’s going to be a positive move for us. Now our teachers don’t feel like they’re an island at the elementary schools, but we’re all together. It will also cut down on our costs by being able to share materials.”

Allison Oxford, the director of instructional support services for Murray schools, says pre-k helps children get “engaged” in academics before they hit their first school year in kindergarten.

“Early involvement is crucial to an increased graduation rate,” she said. “We want kindergartners to come to school ahead and ready to learn, and to make the school system part of their family culture, all to eventually increase the graduation rate.”

Oxford added that the Murray system decided to send sixth-graders back to elementary schools this year since studies showed that math scores were better when they were not in the middle school setting.

The pre-k program has been at capacity with 320 students since early May. Twenty students are in each class, and the wing at Bagley accommodates 16 classrooms and some storage space. There is a waiting list of 25.

The Bagley site has separate drop-off and parking on the Highway 286 side away from the middle school area. Entrance to the wing cannot be accessed by middle school students, and the pre-k’ers will eat breakfast in their rooms, enjoy a mid-morning snack, and eat lunch after the older kids have cleared out of the cafeteria.

“It’s been the goal of Dr. (Vickie) Reed (superintendent) to have a Pre-K Center for all the schools since the inception,” said Oxford. One of Reed’s positions before becoming superintendent in November 2006 was curriculum director, where she first became involved in pre-k.

“Dr. Reed has been a tremendous supporter of the pre-k program,” said Dean Donehoo, director of administrative services. “She has gone after (classroom) space for them every time it has become available.”

“We’re excited,” Reed said. “It’s an opportunity for us to provide more services. For example, our three resource coordinators do not have to travel from school to school now but can be concentrated in one place. They will also be able to help provide more community services to the families of our kids in the program.”

Pre-k funding statewide goes back to approval of the Georgia Lottery in November 1992. Through Bright from the Start, the state agency that distributes lottery proceeds, Murray County received $1.4 million in program funds and an additional $100,000 grant for the three resource coordinators in the 2008 fiscal year. Although the state pre-k program does not require certified teachers, the Murray system does, and kicked in $11,000 over and above the lottery money.