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Chicago Public Faculties is contemplating an enrollment coverage change that will give pre-Okay college students precedence to remain in the identical faculty for kindergarten, even when they reside outdoors the varsity’s boundary or are at a magnet faculty.
At present, if a pre-Okay scholar lives outdoors a college’s boundary or attends full-day pre-Okay at a magnet faculty, they don’t seem to be assured a seat in kindergarten. If accredited, the proposed coverage would give present pre-Okay college students precedence after siblings and youngsters of employees, however forward of different candidates. For neighborhood colleges, college students dwelling within the boundary would nonetheless get high precedence. After them, siblings of scholars and youngsters of employees, after which pre-Okay college students can be provided seats earlier than different college students from outdoors the boundary. The coverage wouldn’t apply to selective enrollment colleges.
If accredited, the adjustments would take impact in subsequent 12 months’s utility cycle for attendance within the 2026-27 faculty 12 months.
Full-day pre-Okay for 4-year-olds in Chicago is a comparatively new program. Former Mayor Rahm Emanuel promised common pre-Okay in 2018 shortly earlier than asserting he wouldn’t search a 3rd time period. Former Mayor Lori Lightfoot adopted by way of on the promise, and now, the varsity district gives 4-year-old full-day pre-Okay throughout the system.
Leslie McKinily, head of the Workplace of Early Childhood with Chicago Public Faculties, mentioned the objective is to extend the variety of pre-Okay college students who stay in the identical faculty for kindergarten.
It’s unclear from the information why households change colleges for kindergarten, McKinily mentioned. For some, it might be that their youngster acquired a suggestion in a selective enrollment program or totally different faculty the household prefers. However McKinily mentioned there are cases the place pre-Okay college students don’t need to depart.
“There are a small variety of colleges which are compelled with telling households, ‘No, you can not keep right here for kindergarten as a result of I simply don’t have the house,’” McKinily mentioned.
That may be troublesome for principals who’ve used common pre-Okay as a recruitment software to construct enrollment at their faculty, McKinley mentioned.
Seth Lavin, principal of Brentano Elementary Math & Science Academy in Logan Sq., mentioned his faculty has confronted this subject. After the varsity was spared from closure in 2013, they labored to spice up enrollment — and providing pre-Okay helped.
“Even when households have apprehensions about CPS or one specific faculty, they’ll usually really feel good after they stroll right into a preschool classroom and see nice preschool academics doing nice preschool work,” Lavin mentioned. “Then when you’ve acquired a household in your faculty, and so they understand this can be a good place to be, my child is joyful right here, it’s simpler to transform them to kindergarten.”
However as Logan Sq. gentrified and Brentano grew in reputation with neighborhood households, Lavin mentioned it’s been more durable to proceed providing seats to college students who reside outdoors the boundary. As a result of pre-Okay enrollment remains to be a lottery based mostly on revenue and different hardship elements, Lavin mentioned his pre-Okay lecture rooms are sometimes extra numerous than the kindergarten lessons.
“Nothing is magic. This one coverage change shouldn’t be going to thoroughly cease segregation and inequity and the way individuals can all go entry faculty in Chicago,” Lavin mentioned. “However it may be a step that helps give households dealing with financial hardship entry to colleges which are gentrifying after they’re in neighborhoods which are gentrifying.”
The proposed adjustments to the district’s enrollment coverage would additionally enable college students to remain enrolled of their neighborhood faculty in later grades, even when their household strikes out of the attendance boundary.
The proposed coverage might be posted for public remark for 30 days and is anticipated to go earlier than the varsity board for a remaining vote in December.
Becky Vevea is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Chicago. Contact Becky at bvevea@chalkbeat.org.
