Marshfield School Board to Consider Expansion of 4K Program to Madison Elementary

Marshfield, WI (OnFocus) The Marshfield Board of Education will vote on Wednesday whether to form a 4K program at Madison Elementary.

The Board will also look to officially endorse a blended model, in which 4K instruction takes place at both community daycare sites and elementary schools. Two years ago, the District moved from a community-based model by adding a session at Washington Elementary in order to accommodate enrollment numbers.

“To have a true blended model, you really want to be able to have two in-district choices for parents to select from,” said Dr. Ryan Christianson, Superintendent. “Parents want to have options and choice when it comes to selecting where their children are going to attend school, so we’re very excited about the option to include a new additional choice for parents to select from.”

If the Madison location is approved on Wednesday, the Board will also approve hiring a 4k teacher. Whether that location needs one or two sessions, morning and afternoon, will be determined by enrollment numbers and parent requests.

Ideal placement for a child at Madison is determined by whether the child lives in the neighborhood, if they have an older sibling attending Madison, and if they do not need daycare the other half of the day.

For the coming school year, 194 kids have already been enrolled in the 4k program. Based on past trends, an additional 30 could be expected before the start of the school year. Parents typically request the morning session over afternoon. The District aims to have 17-20 kids per session, though actual numbers can be above or below this.

The Wednesday Board of Education meeting will take place at the District Office at 7:30 p.m. The full agenda can be viewed at MarshfieldSchools.org.