FOR IMMEDIATE NEWS RELEASE
Au Gres-Sims Intends to Expand Preschool / Daycare Options on Campus for 2019-20
August 12, 2019
AU GRES, MI – The Au Gres-Sims School District is pleased to announce their intention to expand preschool / daycare options on campus for the 2019-20 school year. The new preschool / daycare, located in the Au Gres-Sims Elementary School, will provide a tuition-based option for families throughout the greater Au Gres area who are seeking an alternate preschool / daycare option if their students do not qualify, or are wait-listed, to be in the Great Start Readiness preschool program. The Michigan Department of Education describes Great Start Readiness as follows, “The Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) is Michigan's state-funded preschool program for four-year-old children with factors which may place them at risk of educational failure. The program is administered by the Michigan Department of Education, Office of Great Start. Funding is allocated to each intermediate school district to administer the program locally.”
Au Gres-Sims is a fully licensed daycare facility, and has hosted an extremely successful GSRP classroom on campus for the past six years which has been rated with the highest 5-star rating each year. However, due to GSRP slot limitations, Au Gres-Sims has only been able to provide access to 18 qualifying children annually. The new preschool / daycare will provide increased access to more students, regardless of eligibility, throughout the greater Au Gres region.
The Au Gres-Sims preschool / daycare option will cost $35 a day, and includes both breakfast and lunch. The new classroom will follow the pre-existing 120 student day GSRP calendar, and will be open for students aged 3-5. The classroom will require a minimum number of seven students to be viable, but has adaptability to increase in size based on community interest. The tentative scheduled first day to open is Monday, September 9.
Executive Assistant Lindsay Miller, who is partnering to lead and design this new early childhood initiative stated, “We are excited for this new preschool opportunity to expand at Au Gres-Sims as a wonderful and necessary new asset for our community.” Superintendent Jeffrey Collier added, “Our region is experiencing a ‘daycare desert’ in which there are very few, if any, licensed facilities for families to entrust their 3-5 year old children for safe and secure care with early learning development. Our new preschool at Au Gres-Sims is designed to meet the needs of our community while providing an amazing opportunity for our parents and youngest Wolverines to be ensured of top-tier programming and security.” For more information about this new opportunity, or to enroll your child(ren), call (989) 876-7150.
About Au Gres-Sims School District Au Gres-Sims School District, a "Destination District," is located in Arenac County, Michigan. The district is nestled on the shores of Lake Huron and includes the Charity Islands. There are roughly 27 miles of shoreline, which ranges from natural frontage and sugar sand beaches to residential property. Au Gres is renowned for offering an incredible quality of life, abundant natural resources, and a rich cultural history.
Au Gres-Sims School District is proud to be known as a “public school with a private school feel” for its combined strength in academic achievement and entire preschool through twelfth grade school experiences. Au Gres-Sims is a progressive district that is recognized statewide, as well as nationally, for consistently and proactively modeling best educational practices using data-driven research and advanced technology. The district remains dedicated to creating a Culture of Learning that provides career and college resource opportunities for learners to gain advanced skill acquisition for an internationally competitive job market within a global economy. To learn more about Au Gres-Sims School District, visit: www.ags-schools.org
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