Solomon Unified School District 393

Early childhood education lays the foundation for lifelong learning, setting young minds on a path toward academic success and personal growth. In the Solomon community, families are fortunate to have access to a variety of early learning opportunities that meet their diverse needs. From the long-standing community preschool, serving the needs of parents working part-time with programs for both three- and four-year-olds, to the school’s fullday Pre-K program for four-year-olds, to the new Early Learning Center for children as young as six weeks through kindergarten age, these options reflect a shared commitment to nurturing and educating our youngest learners. “One of the unique strengths of our community is that in addition to offering a Pre-K program for four-year olds, we’ve also been able to maintain a community preschool that meets the needs of parents who are part time, so together, probably close to 95% of all kids come into kindergarten with preschool experience.” Superintendent Justin Coup said. This shared commitment to early learning led to a significant milestone for USD #393 in 2016, when the first full-day Pre-K program was introduced, laying the groundwork for long-term educational growth. This year, the students from that inaugural class have reached an exciting milestone—they are now in seventh grade. A side-by-side photo of the students at age four and today tells a powerful story: these students have grown alongside the school’s vision for early childhood education. Their journey is a testament to the value of investing in programs that support children from the start. “It started back when I was the elementary principal, I was in a meeting and talking about the future needs of Pre-K, at the time we had a half-time program, and several of our kids had to go to Abilene or Salina because there wasn’t daycare in the community. After about a year of planning, and many tours with community members to other schools, we started the all day program with just one classroom, for a maximum of 20 students,” Coup said. Since then, the numbers grew, with the highest number being 38, ultimately leading to having two classrooms in 2023. For teachers like Peyton Stein, who joined the district shortly after the full-day Pre-K program began, the benefits of this initiative are clear. “For preschool, really the main standards that they are supposed to leave here knowing are the letters and their name, and we are able to go beyond that. We work on lowercase and capital letters, not just letter names but also letter sounds. Then they get to kindergarten and they are ready to start learning to read soon afterwards. I think we are able to get them ready to succeed in kindergarten. In a way, preschool is like the new kindergarten,” Stein stated. These early successes not only prepare students for kindergarten but also foster a sense of belonging and familiarity with the school environment, a benefit Regan Rizzo wholeheartedly believes in. “In this new building, they are so involved with the elementary wing. Starting out here introduces them to the whole world of coming to school. They get to experience so much more socially, walking through the middle school and high school halls, seeing the older students. They get to see how the other kids go throughout their school day, and see what they get to look forward to here. It’s also so nice for their future teachers to be introduced to them and see how they are getting along at the school,” Rizzo said. In addition to the classroom benefits, systems like the MultiTiered System of Supports (MTSS) play a crucial role in addressing educational gaps early. MTSS is a framework designed to meet students’ individual needs- academic, social, emotional, or behavioral, through a tiered approach, ranging from standard instruction to individualized support. MTSS plays a crucial role in giving Solomon preschoolers an extra advantage. According to Solomon MTSS Math Title teacher Meaghan Kilgore, by identifying educational gaps or areas where a child may need extra help early on gives students the support they need before these challenges grow. “With preschool in our building, we are able to have ongoing collaboration with the preschool teachers. This allows us to provide individualized and targeted intervention in both math and reading,” Kilgore added. Early intervention during preschool ensures a stronger foundation and better longterm outcomes. Rizzo proudly supports both the changes in the preschool program that were made in 2016, and the Solomon ELC, not only as a teacher, but as a parent. Mentioning her amazement by some of the numbers, colors and letters that her three year old daughter is learning at the ELC. “Now as a parent, I’m curious to see how [my daughter] will go from the ELC to preschool. There are a lot of fundamentals that she is learning already. When I taught kindergarten, there were sometimes students without prior experience who had trouble identifying some of those things. With this program, I just feel like they are able to get a quicker start, so that way we can get further with their education. I’m curious to see how the first group of kids that started in the ELC will do in the future, and it’s crazy that I will get to experience it first hand,” Rizzo said. As the Solomon community continues to invest in early education through programs like the ELC, it reinforces a shared dedication to nurturing the next generation, ensuring every child has the opportunity to succeed.