Columbia School Board member suggests an improved preschool plan.
The Columbia School Board showed support on Thursday for early childhood education programs under way in Boone County, with one board member going so far as to suggest someday building a center on district land.
Presentations to the board by representatives from Parents as Teachers, Title I Preschool Program and Early Childhood Special Education followed an announcement last week of the formation of a group to coordinate early childhood education.
At the morning meeting, Jack Jensen, who oversees elementary education for the district, began by listing the potential benefits of a more comprehensive and organized system of early childhood education.
They included finishing high school, scoring higher on tests, having a better attitude toward school and less likelihood of needing special or remedial education.
Jensen then introduced Parents as Teachers Coordinator Belinda Masters who was followed by Mary Rook, supervisor of the Title I Preschool Program, and Amy Wilson, coordinator of Early Childhood Special Education with Columbia Public Schools.
All three highlighted the importance of early childhood education programs and gave a summary of the services offered in each area. Rook, for example, said preschool students who attend the program for two years do significantly better than those who attend for one year.
School board members discussed transportation difficulties, space limitations and other concerns facing the programs.
During a brainstorming session just before the meeting ended, board vice president Donald Ludwig proposed undertaking a long-term “facilities strategy” to build an early childhood education center in Columbia. Several board members agreed that a center would be worth pursuing.
“We have a lot of acreage on the Lange property,” Ludwig said. “Why don’t we just go the extra effort and have this board consider an early childhood center?”
Asked later about Ludwig’s remark, district spokeswoman Lynn Barnett said, “It’s something we’ve had in the back of our minds for a long time. ... There’s not a plan in place yet.”
Also later, Karla DeSpain, board president, said the main reason to build a center would be to provide classroom space in those areas that have the longest waiting lists for early childhood programs.
On Tuesday, Superintendent Phyllis Chase raised the district’s interest in early childhood education when she testified at a trial about Missouri’s school funding formula. Chase said the district wants to expand its preschool program but doesn’t have the money.
Meanwhile, creation of the Boone County Coordinating Board for Early Childhood Education was sparked by a combination of the “unregulated” and “inconsistent” nature of early childhood education, a Jan. 12 release from the new board said.
“I think that early education is an extremely important part of getting children ready for school and preparing them for the real world,” said Philip G. Peters Jr., an MU law professor who will chair the coordinating board.
A key purpose of the board is “to fashion a strategic plan for developing a high-quality system of early education in the city and county,” the release said.
The coordinating board includes members from the four major agencies involved — the Columbia district, the United Way, the Chamber of Commerce and First Chance for Children — along with other organizations. Peters said he expects to start forming a larger committee that will advise the board by the end of February.