Starting with the 2024-25 school year, the Grants Pass School District (GPSD7) will launch a new initiative to provide free preschool for four and five-year-olds living within its boundaries. This new program will serve as a significant milestone for the community, offering 36 children an inclusive educational environment that brings together both children with and without disabilities.
The initiative is made possible through a partnership with Southern Oregon Education Service District (SOESD) Early Childhood Services. Annie Blanchard, Early Childhood Coordinator for the Grants Pass School District, emphasized the importance of this expansion, stating, “Free preschool options are extremely limited, and private preschool can be cost-prohibitive for many families. By offering free inclusive preschool, we are ensuring more children have access to high-quality early education, which is crucial for their development and future success.”
Enrollment in the preschool program will be determined through a lottery system, with priority given to families demonstrating financial need. The program will be housed at the Grants Pass School District’s Early Learning Center at Highland Elementary School. Classes will be held four days a week—Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday—with morning sessions running from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM, and afternoon sessions from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM.
Unlike K-12 education, early learning programs do not receive state funding and instead rely on grants, donations, or tuition. The GPSD7 preschool program is made possible through community partnerships, grants, and generous donor support, including a $250,000 anonymous donation specifically earmarked for expanding preschool opportunities in the district.
Shannon Bilbao, Program Coordinator with SOESD Early Childhood Services, highlighted the benefits of the inclusive classroom model, stating, “Creating an inclusive classroom is a wonderful way for our students to learn and grow alongside their age-appropriate peers. By working together, we can ensure that more families benefit from high-quality preschool programs.”
The preschool curriculum will focus on building essential language, literacy, fine motor, math, and reasoning skills through a variety of engaging activities such as songs, movement, science experiments, play, and creative hands-on experiences. Although transportation is not currently available for the program, the district will continue to offer free parent-child playgroups for four and five-year-olds, which began in the 2023-24 school year. However, it’s important to note that enrollment in the preschool program excludes participation in the playgroups, and vice versa.
Families interested in applying for the preschool program can do so now, with acceptance notifications being sent out on or before August 26, 2024. For more information, to donate, or to view a list of the district’s 2024-25 supporters, families are encouraged to visit the Grants Pass School District’s website at: www.grantspass.k12.or.us/early-learning.