Derby educators last month unveiled “Little Raiders University,” the school system’s new, $94,000 preschool.
“I’m from Derby, so it feels great to see this happening. It’s innovative. It’s a new way to inspire learning at a young age,” said Nicole Onofrio, one the district’s preschool teachers.
The preschool has about 25 students, but Superintendent Matthew Conway and the Derby Board of Education want to make it available (though a sliding scale payment system) to all Derby kids who are preschool aged. The goal is to expand to 54 children by the start of the next school year and to about 84 students down the road.
The district is applying for grants to fund costs associated with the expanded number of students.
The preschool is within the Derby High School building, but has its own entrance from the outside, separating the little ones from the much older kids. It’s a large, kid-friendly space, quite the transformation from its previous use, as an art class.
Derby High School athletic teams are the Red Raiders, hence the preschool’s name.
The $94,000 renovation was funded through the state Department of Education’s “alliance district” money. Derby receives the extra funding because its students have struggled in recent years, causing the state to define it as an under-performing district.
Alison Conway, the superintendent’s spouse, is the Little Raiders University director.
She said the new preschool is state-of-the art, with several “learning centers,” dividing the large, open space, including “dramatic play,” computers, writing, science and math.
“It is absolutely state-of-the-art,” Conway said. “We have three computer stations, a 72-inch Smart Board loaded with everything under the sun from music and movement to a host of other educational activities.” Click here to learn about Smart Boards.
Technology is a key part of the new preschool.
“They’re already into technology. So they want to learn through that,” Onofrio said. “We’re also going to have personal computers for the kids to use, so they’ll have little computers of their own.”
Roughly 53 percent of Derby students coming into kindergarten did not attend a formal preschool before enrolling in Derby Public Schools, according to a 2006 report from the Early Childhood Committee of the Valley Council of Health and Human Services. Click here to download the report (PDF).
That was among the lowest percentage in the lower Naugatuck Valley, and also lower than the state average.
Research shows getting kids into quality preschool programs is an indication of greater academic success down the road.
It is especially important in Derby, where poverty and a transient population present challenges to learning.
“(Preschool) will help them as they continue on through the other grades. The more they can learn now, the better they’ll be in the subsequent years,” Onofrio said.
The ribbon-cutting for Little Raiders University was held Jan. 29, after Superintendent Conway’s first “state of the district” speech at Derby High School.
Conway gave his presentation to a packed auditorium of supportive parents, staff and community leaders.
The superintendent said Derby schools were greatly influenced by President Barack Obama’s 2014 State of the Union address.
In fact, during his address, Conway showed video clips from the President’s address, then showed specifically how Derby is following the president’s initiatives.
“If it’s right for America, I say it’s right for Derby,” Conway said.
A clip from Conway’s address is below.
Example — Obama in 2014 called for more technology and online learning.
In Derby, the district has “100 percent (online) connectivity” for all students from sixth through 12th grade. The high school is using grant money to modernize, and the district, through a partnership with Sprint, purchased 400 laptops for high school students.
In addition to reviewing the district’s recent history, Conway highlighted some areas of academic improvement in Derby. For example, 84.4 percent of the class of 2014 graduated on time, Conway said. That’s the lowest dropout rate in at least four years, according to the district.
Meanwhile, Conway highlighted gains Derby students have made on the state standardized tests.
Click the play button below to hear Conway talk about academic progress, or click play on the video above.
“Leading is not about standing on the sidelines and watching what others do. Leading is about being out in front, leading the change so that our children are prepared,” Conway said. “Our children have choices, our children can compete. Our children will not fail because we have not provided them with the opportunity for practice, the opportunity to experience how other children throughout the world are learning.”
