A class for 3-year-old children is being added to the Nettle Creek Discovery Preschool and Daycare. Enrollment started recently for up to 15 children, and 11 had been signed up as of last Thursday.
Discovery Preschool and Daycare is a program of the Nettle Creek School Corporation. Until now, it has been open only to 4-year-old children, said Elizabeth Bryant, director of learning. It meets in Hagerstown Elementary School’s north wing.
The program included 35 children in the recent school year. It could serve up to 45 4-year-olds. The Monday-Friday program includes a half day of instruction and an optional daycare that operates from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The cost is $60 a week. Children must be 3 or 4 by Aug. 1.
Adding 3-year-olds will mean opening a second daycare room, Bryant said. One of the current staff who had been instructing preschool for a half day and working in daycare the other half day will now take the 3-year-old class.
The program has been growing quickly, Bryant said, because of the community’s need for quality and affordable preschool and daycare. When it started, the program qualified as a Level 1 program in the state’s Paths to Quality daycare licensing program. By growing and improving the staff’s credentials, the program hopes to attend a Level 3 certification within the coming year. That will allow it to offer more vouchers to help lower income families pay for it, Bryant said.
Parents interested in the program may contact Bryant at the Nettle Creek Schools administration office, 297 E. Northmarket St., 765-489-4543 or ebryant@nettlecreek.k12.in.us; or go online to https://nettlecreekschools.com/hes/nettle-creek-discovery-preschool for information and an enrollment form.
A version of this article appeared in the July 5 2023 print edition of the Western Wayne News.