Welcome to 2010!
With 2010 officially here, the pages of its book are blank and ready to be written in. I would like to fill some of these pages by sharing with you many of the things that are and will be happening during the first half of this New Year.
· With support from the Dekko Foundation, MLKMS is continuing to work with Connie Murphy, a local consultant from the American Montessori Society to support the continued development of our Montessori curriculum.
· In November ‘09, MLKMS was awarded funding from the Community Foundation of Fort Wayne for the purchase of new Montessori materials. Seventeen boxes were delivered the day before our holiday break and are waiting to be unpacked and placed on classroom shelves for your children to learn to use.
· On January 7th, MLKMS will be visited by a rater from the Indiana Association for the Educational of Young Children (IAEYC) who will assess the entire program in order to renew our status as a Level Four Paths to Quality child care provider. This is the highest rating any early childhood program can achieve.
· Also this month, our license will change from a six month provisional license to permanent license. A provisional license is mandatory when any program moves to a new building.
MLKMS is nationally accredited through the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), it is time for the school to renew its accreditation status. During the next 5-6 months, you will be hearing a lot about this journey, which includes asking every family to complete a Family Survey that asks for opinions on your child’s experiences at MLKMS. Administration and staff will be gathering extensive documentation that to show that MLKMS meets 10 very detailed, specific NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards.
The final step toward achieving our reaccreditation involves an official on-site program assessment conducted by NAEYC assessors. This will occur some time in the late summer or early fall.
Finally, the MLKMS Board of Directors is embarking on a new strategic planning process that will set goals for the growth and direction of the school for years to come. Parent volunteers are needed and if you would like to volunteer and be a part of the Strategic Planning Committee please see me.
As you can see, there are a lot of exciting things happening at MLKMS! On behalf of the Board of Directors and staff, we all look forward to safe and wonderful year together! Welcome 2010!
Wishing you the very best,
Bobbie Golani
Director