Alabama’s first-class Pre-K program expands in Jefferson County

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ala. (WBRC) – The state’s nationally recognized Pre-K program is growing again, and schools like Leeds Primary are seeing the benefits for students and teachers.

Principal Steven Porter says they had a waitlist with parents looking to get their students into the school’s Pre-K program. Last year, they were serving about 140 students, and now, with the state funding a new classroom, it gave them about 18 more spots to serve the community in Leeds and surrounding areas.

Porter says some parents drive up to 25 minutes to bring their child to the school’s first-class Pre-K program. The success the young learners have after they finish has some parents opting to pay tuition to keep their students there for kindergarten. Porter says it is a testament to the environment teachers and staff provide, and it is also because of the assistance they receive from the state and the Office of School Readiness making sure 4-year-olds have access to excellent early learning. Porter says this success is leading to much-needed growth.

“We can hire some new people and get the people in place,” said Porter. “The biggest thing is we had a lot of families that were on a waitlist, and so if they wanted to be here, we couldn’t serve them. To have that this year and add that unit now every family in Leeds that wants their child to be here, we were able to serve them and some of the other communities.”

Porter adds they have students coming from Trussville, Moody, and Shelby County for the program.

To find out how you can get your child registered next year, click here.

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