Monomoy Regional School District to launch pre-kindergarten program at Chatham Elementary School

To help meet the needs of children and families in the community, Monomoy Regional School District is launching a new pre-kindergarten program. Monomoy’s Pups pre-kindergarten program is designed to meet critical developmental needs of young children by providing a full-day, language-rich environment with comprehensive wrap-around services. 

Monomoy Regional School District is committed to providing a nurturing and stimulating learning environment for all children, and this 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.

“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.”

“It’s important to note the distinction between the new Pups pre-K program and the existing Monomoy Integrated Preschool program. The integrated preschool program serves special education students with identified disabilities who learn alongside community peers. The Pups program is not structured to service students with disabilities, rather, it will work to support students and families with a different set of needs.”

The Pups program will be located in available space at Chatham Elementary School, and will be open to families in Chatham and Harwich. 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. 

Those interested in enrolling their child in this program should visit www.monomoy.edu/pups and complete the form linked there. If there are more students interested than available spaces, a lottery will be held. This program is pending budget approval at Town Meeting and town elections in Chatham and Harwich, and the ability to hire a qualified educator.