The Saugus Union School District began offering preschool at Bouquet Canyon Early Learning Academy in January after the program was shuttered in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Tuesday, the district’s governing board is set to hear a report on how the program is faring, both financially and educationally.
Currently, the program is being offered for both general education and special education. The former has two options available: five days a week in the morning at $24 per day, and three days a week in the afternoon at $16 per day.
“Our collaborative preschool encourages active, playful exploration and experimentation,” the program’s page on the district’s website reads. “With play as an integral part of the curriculum, Bouquet Canyon Early Learning Academy uses purposeful teaching to ensure children gain knowledge and skills in a place where all children are individually assisted to move along a pathway of healthy learning and development.”
Students must turn 3 years old by Sept. 1 to be enrolled. General education classes are split into a 3-year-old class and a 4-year-old class.
For more information on how to enroll in the preschool program, visit tinyurl.com/y9c5ecxm.
Also on the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting is a discussion on threat and risk management protocols.
The discussion stems from a survey that was conducted in the spring that showed only 36% of students agreed with the statement, “Students treat each other well at my school,” with similar responses to other questions surrounding behavior.
In July, the board heard from representatives from Keenan & Associates, which toured school sites and made the following findings:
- Campuses appear and feel physically safe and have high standards for learning, while elements considered as conditions for learning are evident but not consistent.
- There is a strong Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support system in place, and behavioral data is available, but it needs to be used more robustly to identify students who may need support.
- Schools have a process for reporting bullying but it may not be fully accessible by everyone, and there is no evidence of a 24-hour, central reporting system.
- When reported, actions were swiftly taken, and threat assessments are evident but it was apparent that there was some confusion among staff.
- A multi-tiered system of support is evident at schools but has not been integrated across SEL, behavior and academic development.
- Social workers are viewed as valued and instrumental for student well-being at most campuses and have roles in tiered supports for student emotional health.
Tuesday’s discussion is set to identify what a threat is, including the different levels of threats, protocols on how to address issues using a tiered approach and ensuring incidents are documented to have better knowledge of a student’s behavioral history and to provide families with resources.
Tuesday’s meeting is set to begin at 6:30 p.m. at the district’s administrative office located at 24930 Avenue Stanford. To view the meeting online, visit tinyurl.com/2s35n6yx.
