school
I’M BEYOND EXCITED FOR THIS
POSITION, AND I’MEAGER
TO WORK WITH OUR
TEACHERS ANDFAMILIES.”
ballot proposals to spend $2.1
million and $2.6 million for full-day
kindergarten in 2015 and 2016,
respectively.
The first step of the school board’s
plan was to move the Preakness
branch of the public library out of the
building —a notion that did not gain
favor from its most loyal patrons.
By next September, Toback says,
full-day kindergarten classes should
be ready to go at each of the district’s
nine elementary schools. Room has
been made for them because all
preschool classes are now held where
the library branch used to be.
But, the space had to be renovated.
It cost $3.6 million to prepare
the 15,275-square-foot wing for
classrooms, says schools business
administrator William Moffitt. A
playground was constructed in the
rear of the preschool, and a new
air-conditioning unit and new fire
alarms were installed.
Many people say they are excited
to see the schoolhouse repurposed,
according to Toback. “The early
childhood center was one of the
big milestones we had to achieve
because it opens up space in our
neighborhood schools,” he says.
NUMBERS,PLEASE
■ Preschool enrollment in Wayne,
2019-2020: 223 students
■ Maximum enrollment at the
new preschool:264 students
■ Monthly cost to enroll achild in the
program, three days per week: $232
■ Monthly cost to enroll achild in the
program, five days per week: $428
■ Cost for special education students
assumed by the district
■ Bell schedule: 8:20-10:20 a.m.,
or 11:20 a.m. to 1:20 p.m.
The district had not held classes at
Preakness School since 1977, when
declining enrollment there forced
students to transfer to Albert P.
Terhune and James Fallon schools.
The preschool will employ 11
teachers, as well as four therapists,
a behavior specialist, a learningdisabilities
teaching consultant, a
nurse, a psychologist and a social
worker. One of its classrooms will
be self-contained for children with
special needs, Hammond says.
Having all of the district’s preschool
classes under the same
roof will support students’ social
development and boost their selfesteem,
as they become “big kids on
campus,” according to Hammond.
School safety is of utmost concern
to her. She wrote her dissertation on
that topic at Johnson & Wales, and
she says she recalls exactly when it
took paramount importance in her
mind. Hammond had just dropped
off her boys at anew school, and for
the first time, she was not working in
the same building. “I drove away, and
it was a pivotal moment for me—
realizing the importance of safety,”
she says.
“I completely understand that feeling
parents have when they’re dropping
their students off,” she says. “I
just want them to know that they’re
safe, and in very good hands.” ■
Note: The Wayne Township Public
Schools District has made plans for
preschool students to engage in a
combination of in-person and remote
learning, but advises parents to
check for updates on its website:
wayneschools.com. To enroll in
the preschool, contact the K-12
district’s preschool registrar at
(973) 968-7407, orat
[email protected].
14 BACK TOSCHOOL 2020 WAYNE MAGAZINE