NEW LONDON — Superintendent Winfried Feneberg and the Kearsarge Regional School District are pleased to announce that the District will expand its preschool program to a second location in the 2023-2024 school year.
The District will use Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds to purchase a modular building that will be placed on site at Kearsarge Regional Elementary School at Bradford. The building will have two classrooms, a teacher workspace, motor room, speech room, staff area, and bathrooms. The preschool will also have a fenced-in playground. The building is scheduled to arrive and be placed in the spring.
The District currently operates the James House Preschool on the SAU 65 grounds in New London. The District will rebrand the preschool program and change its name to Kearsarge Regional Preschool (KRPS) at New London and at Bradford.
The expanded program is a recognition of the growing need for early childhood education.
“We have been discussing expanding preschool services to reach the southern tier of our District for several years to allow early learning opportunities for more of our preschool-age community members,” said Nikki Robertson, Associate Director of Student Support Services for Preschool and KRES at Bradford. “With the single site in New London, it was challenging for families in Bradford, Warner and Newbury to enroll in a partial day program that was far from their community.”
The two Bradford classrooms will run a morning and afternoon program to mirror the current system in New London. There are projected to be 12 to 15 openings in both the morning and afternoon classes, depending on the re-enrollment of students already in the program. Two teachers and two paraprofessionals will be hired for the Bradford location.
The District follows New Hampshire Early Learning Standards for preschool. The early childhood learning program focuses on enhancing cognitive, physical, communication, adaptive, and social-emotional skills. Preschool students learn through interaction with a variety of real world activities such as cooking projects and peer interactions and explore literacy and numeracy concepts in their environment. The program provides play-based and multisensory learning opportunities, with emphasis on classroom community and social emotional learning.
The District’s early childhood program also supports preschool-age students that receive special education services.
Any preschool-age child that lives in the district and will be three or four years old by Sept. 30, 2023, is eligible to apply for the 2023-24 school year. Applications will be accepted beginning after Jan. 1, and spaces will be filled on a first come first serve basis.
Children who live in New London, Springfield, North Sutton, or Wilmot are eligible for the New London site. Children who live in Bradford, Newbury, South Sutton, and Warner are eligible for the Bradford site.
Tuition for the 2023-24 school year will be as follows:
- 3-year-old morning program: two days per week (Tuesday/Thursday or Wednesday/Friday) from 8-10:30 a.m., is priced at $115 per month.
- 3-year-old morning program: four days per week (Tuesday-Friday) from 8-10:30 a.m., is priced at $165 per month.
- 4-year-old afternoon program: four day per week (Tuesday-Friday) from 11:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., is priced at $245 per month.
“Preschool gives children all of the tools they need to be prepared socially and academically for kindergarten, and gives them the best chance of success in their educational journey,” Superintendent Feneberg said.
Parents and guardians in the District who have questions regarding the KRPS expansion are asked to contact Nikki Robertson at nrobertson@kearsarge.org.