Little Braves preschool closure was Head Start's decision

Much has been made the last couple years about tough personnel and program cuts at La Conner schools forced by steadily shrinking student enrollment.

But in the most recent example of difficult funding choices – and one not of its making – La Conner is again paying the price.

La Conner Elementary School Principal Heather Fakkema told school board members at their March 25 public meeting that pending closure of the popular Little Braves preschool program is rooted in national budget decisions, not local.

She said the national Head Start organization in a “right-sizing” move is reducing the budget for Skagit/Islands Head Start, under whose umbrella Little Braves has operated. Due to its relatively small size, Little Braves will be closed.

“It’s sad,” said Fakkema, who has served as Little Braves administrator.

School board president Susie Deyo agreed. She had envisioned the campus preschool helping to boost K-12 enrollment.

The idea was that students attending Little Braves would be more apt to enroll in the district’s kindergarten. State funding for public schools is determined by full-time K-12 enrollment.

La Conner has seen enrollment drop from around 700 K-12 students in the early 2000s and about 600 pupils at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic to an estimated 460 students for the 2024-25 academic year.

Little Braves preschool intro­duced students to early childhood education concepts such as shapes, colors, counting and letters through play and table activities. Students have also taken field trips to the La Conner Fire Station and Skagit County Children’s Museum among other venues.

Ironically, the preschool will close despite a $275 million increase in Head Start’s budget. New federal legislation authorizes $12.27 billion for Head Start, a $275 million increase.

Sen. Patty Murray, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, is a former preschool teacher. She won election to the Senate in 1993. She has long championed measures that support pre-K options for working parents across the country through Head Start.

The Little Braves preschool, however, won’t meet beyond the present school year.

As for next year, Fakkema floated the idea for the district to offer a transitional program to serve as a bridge between preschool and kindergarten. That format would provide students with time to develop fundamental skills for school success in a setting appropriate to their age and development.

Another option for Head Start-qualified families is to enroll their children in the preschool program at Washington Elementary School in West Mount Vernon.

“Washington School got to keep its preschool because it’s a much bigger program,” Fakkema said. “We can help families who are currently registered to find a new (preschool) placement.”

The non-profit La Conner Co-Op Preschool, where parents work alongside teachers to provide students early childhood learning opportunities, poses another possibility.

“Their numbers are way up,” said board member Kim Pedroza. “They’re busting at the seams.”