Camden Fairview Preschool program hope to be recruitment tool for new teachers

Employees of Camden Fairview School District will have another daycare option when school starts, according to a press release from the Camden Fairview School District.

The press release from states: “The Camden Fairview School District will offer for the first time, the new 2019/2020 Camden Fairview Preschool Program located at Fairview Elementary School. The Camden Fairview Preschool program will serve as a teacher recruiting tool to attract new teachers to our district and allow current certified teachers and school-affiliated employees to enroll their four-year-old children in Camden Fairview Preschool. This will help our employees with locating someone to keep their children and the cost of day care. The cost will be $50 dollars per (child) or $200 per month plus cost of lunch if students eat in the FES Cafeteria.

“Pre-K students must be four years old on or before August 1, 2019. First priority will be to Camden Fairview certified teachers and school affiliated employees. If there are available slots after employees needs are met, then remaining spots will be offered to the community.”

Pre-Kindergarten Enrollment is on a first come first serve for eligible families affiliated with Camden Fairview School District

This program will only be for students who do not qualify for existing pre-school programs such as HIPPY and ABC. Call Fairview Elementary School at 870-231-5434 or the CFSD Central Office at 870-836-4193 for enrollment info.

Care.com lists the average weekly rate for daycare services in Camden as $98 week, states its website.

Camden Fairview Superintendent Mark Keith said, “We hire a lot of young teachers, and we thought this was a good idea to give another incentive to attract teachers with young families. This allows the teachers to get their children in school a year earlier. Get them off that daycare bill.”

Keith said the program will be taught by Kathleen Carmody, a kindergarten teacher with a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education.

She’s an experienced teacher and does an outstanding job,” said Keith. “One of my top teachers, and she is so excited about starting this program for me. I’ve got a great teacher in there.”

The program will teach 20- to-30 students, according to Keith. He said the curriculum will help the children move forward and have a leg up when they enter kindergarten and first grade, and that having an on-site daycare with the same hours will help parents with pick-up and schedules.

Keith also said that the Camden Fairview School district runs HIPPY programs and the ABC Better Beginnings program.

Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters Program (HIPPY) is a 30-week school readiness-parent involvement program for parents of three, four and some five-year-old children. Most programs operate concurrently with the school year and are staffed by a professional coordinator and well-trained home-based educators.

Better Beginnings - a program of the Arkansas Department of Human Services - connects Arkansas families with information and care that helps their children experience a safe, happy, healthy childhood. Better Beginnings is designed to improve the level of quality in childcare and early childhood education programs across the state.

“This will just fall right in line with them,” Keith said.

Keith reported that as of Friday, eight students have been enrolled.

Keith added “It’s just something to give back to the teachers. We reward the teachers as much as we can, I just think this is another way to reward the teacher. I’m excited about it. They’ll have full access to everything we have as far as the (Cardinal Care) School Health Clinic and lunchroom. I’m looking forward to it.”

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