Student opportunities start well before kindergarten at Nooksack Valley Schools. The district has multiple early learning programs, all driven to provide services for students within the district.
The Transitional Kindergarten (TK) program launched with a single half-year group in January 2020 at Sumas Elementary. New for this school year, the TK program has expanded to four full-year classes. The programs at Sumas and Everson elementary have the capacity to support 18 students in each classroom while the two classrooms at Nooksack can support a total of 26 students. There inclusive models support typical peers and students with identified needs who would have otherwise been served in our district’s developmental preschool program.
“We wanted a program that could serve all students regardless of their needs, options should not be limited for families because their students require more support,” says Kim McGee, special programs director for Nooksack Valley Schools.
The TK program continues to grow in popularity as it provides a structured program for students. As it continues to grow, the district is holding tight to the intended purpose of TK which is to provide support to students who need it the most to be ready for kindergarten.
In TK, the model features a play-based approach to learning. Learning through play allows students to practice problem-solving and exploration with pre-academics to prepare them for kindergarten. It also allows them to build relationship skills with both peers and adults in a school setting. These classrooms are filled with literacy, music, play items, art tools, counting collections and other materials to support activities to allow students to have fun and play together.
The TK program is not the only early learning opportunity in the community. Nooksack partners with the Opportunity Council to provide classroom space for an additional early learning program at Everson Elementary. These two Head Start classrooms support the capacity of 18 students in each classroom and are in the process of moving from a half-day program to a full-day program during the 2024-25 school year. Students ages 3-5 are registered through the Opportunity Council.
The district has a developmental preschool located at Everson Elementary serving students ages 3 and 4. This program has expanded for the 2024-25 school year to provide a morning and afternoon preschool class, each running four days a week. These two classes combined currently serve around 30 students. These classrooms consist of students who qualify for special education services as well as typical community peers who pay tuition to attend.
With the increases in 2024-25, the district and community partners are serving more students and providing more time for early learning. As state and federal budgeting and community partnerships continue to remain in flux, the goal of the district is to use state and federal programs to maintain as many interventions and supports for students as possible.
McGee says “partnering with our local preschool providers also allows us to support a continuum of options and opportunities so families have a choice in what meets their needs. While we want to provide as many opportunities as possible, we want to be mindful of the programs that currently exist and find ways to partner to support each other.”
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