By Weakley County Schools Communications Director Karen Campbell
Dresden, Tenn.–Families in Weakley County can pay between $400 and nearly $550 a month for care for their pre-kindergarteners. But when that figure is beyond the families’ means, they still have a place to turn.
Weakley County Schools include five locations for four-year-old pre-K – Dresden Elementary, Gleason, Greenfield, Martin Primary and Sharon. The five-day-a-week program is free for income-eligible families.
In Weakley County, each preschool class includes a teacher and an educational assistant (EA): Greenfield, Julie Arnold, teacher, and Bailey Daniel, EA; Gleason, Sherri Brawner, teacher, and Jenny Lehmkuhl, EA; Sharon, Beth Mathews, teacher, and Olivia Hensley, EA; Dresden Elementary, Marla Rook, teacher, and Cindy Mitchell, EA; Martin Primary, Kendall Wylie and Taylor Zantop, teachers, and Brandi Barner and Brandie Roberts, EAs.
Every teacher is licensed and certified to teach in Pre-K. EAs have either some type of college degree or Child Development Associate credential or are working on that process.
“Weakley County Schools is fortunate to have the caliber of teachers and EAs we do, and all supported by the years of experience of our consultant Karen Fowler,” said Terri Stephenson, the instructional supervisor for elementary schools under which the pre-K program falls. “Our hope is that we can get the word out to families of four-year-olds who may be in a financial bind yet understand that pre-K helps set students up for later academic success.”
Openings for income-eligible families with four-year-olds are still available, Stephenson explained. A second enrollment day is set for September 8. At that time, the schools will be prepared to also speak with parents of three-year-olds who may be interested in the program should space remain available.