SALEM — Early education will look different in the 2021-22 school year.
The city of Salem announced that it is introducing a new early-education partnership program for the upcoming school year as it hopes to strengthen access for 4-year-olds in the city.
With the new program, Salem hopes to improve and better align the quality of early education as well as ensure that all families have access to early childhood education.
Mayor Kimberley Driscoll said she hopes to best serve every child in Salem and have everyone on the same level entering the city’s school system. The mayor wants any family who is interested in full-day preschool to have access to the program.
“As a district with a wide diversity of learners, including both socioeconomically and culturally, we are constantly striving to ensure that we serve every family and every child equitably and to the best of our abilities,” said Driscoll. “Later school success is strongly correlated to access to high-quality early education; by broadening access to this essential and life-changing educational service, we can better serve every Salem child who enters Salem Public Schools’ kindergarten classrooms.”
In the next school year, Salem Public Schools will be expanding hours of existing pre-K classes at the Early Childhood Center as well as opening two new pre-K classrooms. Also, the city will be looking to partner with four existing pre-K classrooms to better align the quality of the program along with the curriculum.
Driscoll, who also is the chair of the School Committee, said that she values the importance of early education positively affecting a child’s life both inside and outside of the classroom.
“We know that having a high-quality pre-K experience is formative in preparing students for success — both academically and socially,” she said. “It can also lay the foundation for their growth and further achievement as students (progress) beyond kindergarten and into the rest of their school years. By expanding access to quality pre-K classrooms, whether in our schools or through our community partners, we give our children an important edge as they continue on their academic path.”
The city noted that seats will be filled by a lottery, which will take place on July 19. The deadline to enter is July 15 with an additional lottery taking place on Aug. 6 — the deadline to enter the second lottery is Aug. 5. If families don’t receive a seat in the program they will then be placed on a waiting list.
