Monica Juarez, principal at Victoria Walker Elementary, welcomes Carlee Gardner to her first day of pre-kindergarten.

Carlee Gardner shows off her artwork on her first day of pre-kindergarten.

GCCISD Offers Pre-K for Employees’ Children

By: Susan Passmore

As an added benefit to Goose Creek CISD employees, the district started offering tuition-based pre-kindergarten to employees’ children Feb. 1, 2021. The cost for the program Is $300 per month, substantially less than pre-school or daycare.

“During such a challenging year, we are pleased to offer the benefit of tuition-based pre-k to our district staff,” said Jennifer Roach, coordinator of early childhood and community outreach initiatives. “Giving our teachers and staff the opportunity to save money and provide their own child with a positive pre-k experience is a win-win for our deserving employees who consistently go above and beyond for the children of our community."

Courtney Gardner, kindergarten teacher at Victoria Walker Elementary, is grateful to have been able to have her four-year-old child Carlee at her school, since Walker had some seats open.

“Having this option at such a reasonable price helps us financially,” Gardner said. “I feel like she will be prepared for kinder curriculum, know the campus better and be familiar with how ‘big girl school’ works.”

Fifteen children of employees have taken advantage of the pre-k program. While pre-k is offered on all elementary campuses except Highlands Elementary, which houses grades 3-5, employees’ children can only enroll at a school with available spots.

“We hope to be able to offer this next year,” Roach said. “Sending a child to pre-kindergarten results in better kindergarten readiness, improved vocabulary and enhanced reading skills, but it yields a long list of other benefits that go far beyond test scores.”

For more information, please go to https://www.gccisd.net/page/prekmatters.