The James Logan Courier

By Rick LaPlante, New Haven Schools Public Information Officer

Forty children who weren’t quite old enough to attend kindergarten when the 2007-08 school year began will start school Monday when the New Haven Unified School District launches a mid-year, full-day kindergarten pilot program.

“We are very excited to be able to offer this kind of program to parents of children who were born just a little too late to start kindergarten last fall,” Superintendent Dr. Pat Jaurequi said. “We have put together a quality program that will give these children a solid foundation when they start regular kindergarten next year.”

To be enrolled in regular kindergarten in 2007-08, a child must have turned 5 years old before Dec. 2, 2007. The New Haven pilot is for children who will turn 5 before March 23, 2008.

The program has been full since shortly after it was announced last fall.

Class will begin at 8:30 a.m. each day and be dismissed at 2 p.m. The program, being taught by fully credentialed teachers through an agreement with the New Haven Teachers Association, is being offered only at the Cabello Student Support Center, 4500 Cabello St., on the site of the former Cabello Elementary School.

Like most California school districts, New Haven is facing severe budget difficulties after the governor declared a state fiscal emergency earlier this month and called for both immediate cuts and a massive 10.9% reduction in K-12 funding for 2008-09. The cuts will not affect the mid-year kindergarten program, however, as it will pay for itself by increasing District enrollment and the amount of funds obligated from the state.

“We’re confident that the mid-year program will be a success, and we hope we will be able to offer it to even more children at even more schools next year,” Dr. Jaurequi said.