History in the making: Eatonville’s Hungerford ES ready to welcome preschoolers

EATONVILLE, Fla. — Like most schools in July, Hungerford Elementary in Eatonville is quiet on a weekday afternoon.

But soon that will change, as students and staff get ready to head back to classrooms in mid-August.

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And come September, the halls will be home to even more high-pitched voices than usual.

School leaders there are preparing for a historic “first.”

“This has always been a dream of mine to have a preschool here at Hungerford Elementary,” Principal Leticia Harris said.

Harris shared her excitement about getting her own preschool with Channel 9′s Nick Papantonis.

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Years in the making, Harris said it will be the first program for 2- and 3-year-olds operated by the public school system instead of a nonprofit or private company.

Harris said her goal will be to give the two dozen or so kids experiences they often don’t get at home, and to bring their social and academic developmental skills up to where educators believe they should be.

She said some of her incoming kindergarteners can’t recognize colors, letters, or sounds.

“Just going to the library — those are things that they have never seen before entering into Hungerford Elementary.”

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Pamela Clark oversees the district’s early childhood programs. She said funding is the biggest obstacle for the district to get more involved with the county’s young kids.

“There is a great correlation between kindergarten readiness and third grade reading on-grade level,” Clark said.

A recent study by The Helios Foundation reported that for every dollar Florida invests in early childhood education, it would get almost $9 back by 2050, as traditionally disadvantaged areas and families start getting ahead.

Much of those gains are ripple effects from advancements the 2- and 3-year-olds can make in a classroom like the new program at Hungerford.

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“Traditionally, children who are starting school ready to learn on the first day of school — kindergarten — they are going to be prepared for what is coming ahead,” Clark said.

There will be no cost for kids to attend the new preschool. It is funded by a grant from Travel and Leisure.

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