LPS BOE Approves Recommendation to Combine Village North and Village at Highland

LPS Board approves recommendation to combine Village North and Village at Highland early childhood education programs

 

During its regularly scheduled May 27, 2021 meeting, the Littleton Public Schools Board of Education, in a 5-0 vote, approved administration’s recommendations to return to having one robust, early childhood education center for the district by combining The Village North Preschool and The Village at Highland Preschool. Highland Elementary will be renovated to specifically serve preschool students and will become the home to the combined Village Preschool beginning in the fall of 2023.  

The decision aligns with two of the Board’s focus areas: enhance and support quality early childhood and childcare programs, and optimize the use of district resources and facilities to meet student learning needs while operating the district efficiently.

The Village for Early Childhood Education is a comprehensive program designed to meet the needs of all LPS preschool age children. The Village provides rich academics and strong social-emotional learning opportunities. Services are available for students with disabilities. The Village offers tuition-based, full- and half-day programs. Funding is available for students with disabilities and for families who qualify for the Colorado Preschool Program.

In 2018, The Village Preschool enrollment was at its peak, serving 503 students in two locations. Since then, preschool enrollment has plummeted; the combined enrollment of both Village preschools for this coming fall is 282 students. District leaders say it is no longer fiscally responsible nor in the best interests of our preschool students to keep two Village preschool programs open. 

A centrally located, dedicated early childhood education center will allow LPS to keep and enhance the quality Village preschool model and robust programs our youngest learners deserve, while also meeting stringent federal and state requirements for both indoor and outdoor learning spaces. 

“LPS had one district Village Preschool Program for many years and only expanded to two sites a few years ago because we had a large number of preschool students,” said LPS Superintendent Brian Ewert. “LPS serves a community that is in high demand because it is such a great place to raise a family; however housing prices continue to increase and so it is more and more difficult for young families to move here. Over time, that translates to fewer preschool students. Moving back to one Village Preschool Program in one location will give us the opportunity to keep the very best programs and the very best learning environment we can offer for our youngest learners. Should preschool enrollment increase again in the years to come, we would look at opening a second Village Preschool site again.”   

In the coming months, The Village staff and parents will begin to plan for combining the two programs at Highland, and the Highland facility will undergo additional renovations to turn it into a fully dedicated early childhood education center for the district. 


 

El Comité de LPS aprueba la recomendación de combinar los programas de educación infantil de Village North y Village en Highland

 

Durante su reunión programada regularmente para el 27 de mayo de 2021, el Comité de Educación de las Escuelas Públicas de Littleton, en una votación de 5-0, aprobó las recomendaciones de la administración para volver a tener un centro de educación infantil sólido para el distrito combinando del preescolar The Village North y The Village en Highland. La Primaria Highland se renovará para atender específicamente a los estudiantes de preescolar y se convertirá en el hogar del Preescolar Village combinado a partir del otoño de 2023.

La decisión se alinea con dos de las áreas de enfoque del Comité: mejorar y apoyar programas de calidad para la infancia temprana y cuidado infantil, y optimizar el uso de los recursos y las instalaciones del distrito para satisfacer las necesidades de aprendizaje de los estudiantes mientras opera el distrito de manera eficiente.

La escuela The Village para Educación es un programa integral diseñado para satisfacer las necesidades de todos los niños en edad preescolar de LPS. The Village ofrece oportunidades académicas ricas y sólidas oportunidades de aprendizaje socioemocional. Los servicios están disponibles para estudiantes con discapacidades. The Village ofrece programas de medio día y de jornada completa con inscripción. Hay fondos disponibles para estudiantes con discapacidades y para familias que califican para el Programa Preescolar de Colorado.

En 2018, la inscripción del preescolar The Village estaba en su punto máximo, atendiendo a 503 estudiantes en dos ubicaciones. Desde entonces, la inscripción preescolar ha disminuido; la inscripción combinada de ambos preescolares Village para el próximo otoño es de 282 estudiantes. Los líderes del distrito dicen que ya no es fiscalmente responsable ni en el mejor interés de nuestros estudiantes de preescolar mantener abiertos dos programas preescolares The Village.

Un centro de educación preescolar dedicado y ubicado en el centro permitirá a LPS mantener y mejorar el modelo preescolar The Village de calidad y los programas sólidos que merecen nuestros estudiantes más pequeños al tiempo que cumple con los estrictos requisitos federales y estatales para los espacios de aprendizaje interiores y exteriores.

“LPS tuvo un programa preescolar The Village del distrito  durante muchos años y solo se expandió a dos sitios hace unos años porque teníamos una gran cantidad de estudiantes de preescolar”, dijo el superintendente de LPS Brian Ewert. “LPS atiende a una comunidad que tiene una gran demanda porque es un gran lugar para formar una familia; sin embargo, los precios de la vivienda continúan aumentando, por lo que es cada vez más difícil para las familias jóvenes mudarse aquí. Con el tiempo, eso se traduce en menos estudiantes de preescolar. Regresar a un programa preescolar The Village en un solo lugar nos dará la oportunidad de mantener los mejores programas y el mejor entorno de aprendizaje que podemos ofrecer a nuestros alumnos más pequeños. Si la inscripción en preescolar aumenta nuevamente en los próximos años, consideraríamos abrir un segundo sitio Preescolar The Village nuevamente ”. 

En los próximos meses, el personal y los padres de The Village comenzarán a planificar la combinación de los dos programas en Highland, y la instalación de Highland se someterá a renovaciones adicionales para convertirla en un centro de educación temprana totalmente dedicado para el distrito.