LAWRENCE: Morning program offers care for kids

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
    First, there was the after-school program for children whose parents worked. Now, there is the before-school program for students whose parents must drop them off at school before classes begin.
    Actually, it was a change in the morning starting time at the Ben Franklin and Lawrenceville elementary schools and the Lawrence Intermediate School that triggered the new program, said Christopher Turnbull, the principal of the LIS lower school.
    The two K-3 schools and the grades 4-6 school begin at 8:40 a.m., which is later than the 8 a.m. starting times for the Eldridge Park and Slackwood elementary schools. Lawrence Middle School and Lawrence High School begin at 7:45 a.m. — all as a result of changes in the school bus schedule aimed at saving money.
    “The before-school program is a service that provides some supervision before school starts,” Mr. Turnbull said. The program operates from 7:30 to 8:15 a.m. The schools open their doors to students at 8:15 a.m., although school does not start until 8:40 a.m.
    The students who participate in the before-school program gather in the LIS library, where they are supervised by a teacher and two instructional aides, Mr. Turnbull said. The children read or play quietly and wait until 8:15 a.m., when the school doors open. The K-3 students are transported to their schools and the LIS students are released to the cafeteria or gym to wait for school to begin.
    “(The idea for the before-school program) was a collaborative decision between the administration and the school board to come up with a solution that adequately addresses the need,” Mr. Turnbull said. Parents may have to take care of their other children, or report for work, and the later starting time complicated matters.
    Although the program is only in its second week, 31 students have signed up for the before-school program — 16 from LIS and 15 from the two elementary schools. Most of the elementary school students are in second or third grade, and most of the LIS students are fourth-graders, with a few in grades five and six, Mr. Turnbull said.
    School district officials were pleasantly surprised at the enrollment, he said. The initial projection was 20 students, but 31 had signed up — and there is still room for more children, he said.
    The fee is $95 per month, Mr. Turnbull said. If a child also is enrolled in the after-school program on a full-time basis, there is a $10 discount and the registration fee — which also is $10 — is waived. The cost of the after-school program is $255 on a full-time basis and $186 on a part-time basis.
    Parents who may want to enroll their children in the before-school program may go online to register at www.ltps.org or contact school secretary Bubbie Wilson at [email protected], or by calling 609-671-5580, ext. 4322.
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