New Pre-K Program Being Offered At Chatham Elementary

CHATHAM –The Monomoy Regional School District is launching a new pre-kindergarten program at Chatham Elementary School.

According to the school district, “Monomoy’s Pups” is designed to meet critical development needs of young children by providing a full-day, language-rich environment with comprehensive wrap-around services.

This is open to families in Chatham and Harwich. 

The school district says the program offers the ability to meet the specific needs of those learning English as a second language.

This is a full, school-day program designed to support all families in our community, particularly those experiencing housing insecurities, low income, and/or challenges with transportation and access to high-quality prekindergarten programming…It will offer access for students ages 3 and 4 in one mixed-age classroom for students. Students must be age 3 prior to September 1 in order to enroll.

The program will offer a full-day school schedule of 6.25 hours, five days per week. Students in the program will have access to free lunch through MRSD Food Services, as well as wrap-around services such as Polished Dental, Outer Cape Health Navigator, CFS family counseling, and numerous family engagement supports. Transportation will be provided for students in the Pups program. 

Officials note that this is separate from the Monomoy Integrated Preschool program which was announced last year as a service for students with disabilities. 

“Research consistently demonstrates the profound impact of high-quality early childhood education on children’s future academic success, social-emotional development, and overall well-being,” said Robin Millen, Ed.D., Monomoy’s Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. “This additional program is structured to provide supports for a wide range of needs, including multilingual students, students in poverty, and more.”

Signing up on the Monomoy School District website is recommended. A lottery could be held if there are more students interested than available spaces.