Olympia School District to launch new preschool education program

OLYMPIA — The Olympia School District is planning to launch a new preschool program called Transitional Kindergarten in January.

The program is designed to provide support for children facing barriers to kindergarten readiness, according to the district. The district plans to work with Olympia-area early childhood programs to coordinate enrollment in an effort to avoid competition for attendance.

According to an email sent to OSD families, the pilot program will be structured like a regular kindergarten classroom and will serve up to 18 students. It will be staffed by one teacher and a paraprofessional. The class will start in January at Madison Elementary School on the city’s east side.

Since space is limited, priority will be given to children living in the Madison attendance area. But families from all over the district are eligible to apply.

Applicants must meet the following criteria:

• No access to a regular early childhood program.
• Birthday between Sept. 1, 2017 and Aug. 31, 2018.

Priority will be given to:

• The student’s family income meets free and reduced lunch requirements.
• The student’s family speaks multiple languages.
• The student’s family is experiencing housing instability.
• The student’s family comes from another historically marginalized population.

More information about the program and how to join an informational session is on the school district’s website.