To help increase enrollment, Seven Hills Preschool is hosting an open house on July 27.
During the event, families can stop by the school at 2401 McConnell Ave. anytime between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to tour the facilities, ask questions and learn more about the Head Start program, which operates outside of the school.
Seven Hills Preschool has a unique relationship with the Owensboro public school system, said school principal Susan Fenwick.
Audubon Area Head Start manages the programming and OPS provides the teachers for the school. Students from within the OPS school system will only attend Seven Hills for Head Start, starting this year.
Frederica Street is the dividing line for all other preschool students. Those who live on the west side of Frederica attend Seven Hills and those on the east side attend the Hager Preschool.
Fenwick said registration numbers are low this year for Head Start.
“We think COVID might have something to do with this, so we want to invite families to come see us, visit the school and ask questions,†she said.
During the open house, parents can also register their children. Free food will also be provided and participants are encouraged to bring a chair or blanket for a picnic-style dinner.
Head Start is a free, income-based program that students must qualify for in order to be enrolled. Teachers and staff will be available during the open house to answer questions about whether or not families are eligible.
Head Start also offers breakfast, lunch, and snacks each day, and it’s a full-day preschool program that runs from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The teachers are certified and help prepare children for kindergarten.
“Kindergarten is more like first grade these days,†Fenwick said. “So when kids have this preschool experience before they go to kindergarten, they have a foundation. They already have a lot of those skills they need, like social skills and basic reading and math skills, so they’re more prepared.
For more information on Seven Hills Preschool, the Head Start program, or the upcoming open house, call the school at 270-240-3445.
Sherry Baber, preschool coordinator at the OPS, said enrollment at Hager Preschool looks good for next year.
Other than the traditional orientation that the school holds before each school year, it will not hold any special open houses, she said.
Currently, there are around 130 students enrolled in preschool, and the school’s target would be around 150, she said, adding that the school continues to take enrollments.
Right now, teachers make home visits and go through the necessary selection processes before the start of the school year, Baber said.
“We have been working all summer to prepare things,†she said. “We’re about to start and we’re ready to go. “
For more information on Hager Preschool, or to register, call 270-686-1125.
