The spacious rooms in the Berkshire Schools Early Childhood Center building are ready and waiting for their first small inhabitants in the fall.
The spacious rooms in the Berkshire Schools Early Childhood Center building are ready and waiting for their first small inhabitants in the fall.
More than 40 students, ages 3 through 5, will be learning basic skills in three of the classrooms, said Bill Kermavner, center director.
Some students are in part-time pre-school, some in full-time pre-school and about half have some learning disability, he said during a tour of the new, eight-room modular structure June 18.
“What’s unique about this program is we had four kids the first year. Last year, we had more than 40,” Kermavner said.
The program was housed at the Kent State University – Geauga campus down the street, where Berkshire was expanding its pre-school enrollment to keep pace with a baby boom that happened during the pandemic, he said.
Students primarily come from Berkshire families, but about five are enrolled from out of the district, he said.
School districts are required by the U.S. Department of Education, through the Individuals with Disabilities Act, to provide schooling, either in-district or at a district that has a licensed program, for their youngest students identified with special needs, Kermavner said.
The building was erected last year and finished this spring to give Berkshire the ability to house its own students and enroll others.
“We were sending kids out to other preschools to meet their special education needs,” Kermavner said. “We wanted to bring our kiddos home.”
Berkshire students with disabilities attend for free, he said.
Tuition for students with special needs outside the district is paid by the child’s home district, Kermavner said, adding the families of preschool students without special needs pay $2,610 per year for half days and $5,220 for full days.
Payment can be made on a monthly basis, he said.
Teachers use a preschool curriculum that teaches through play-based learning, structured to each student’s needs and to prepare older students for kindergarten, according to the school website.
Last year, all students at KSU-Geauga were full time. The staff put out a survey to parents and one suggestion was to provide a half-day alternative, so one classroom has morning and afternoon periods, Kermavner said.
Another classroom is leased by Jump Start Burton, an independent pre-school program, Kermavner said, adding the therapy classroom will serve double duty, providing before- and after-school care for elementary-age students at a reasonable cost.
During the school day, that room is dedicated to providing special services, such as therapy, to those with special needs, he said.
An early childhood grant helps cover some of the cost of therapy, such as specialists in the fields of dyslexia or speech problems spending time with special education pre-schoolers to help them overcome their handicaps.
“If a child is identified with special needs, we have to figure out how they learn,” Kermavner said, adding he had dyslexia as a boy and a therapist helped him deal with it.
“We come up with strategies on how the student can learn best,” he said.
The office he shares with Amy Dawson, his administrative assistant, takes part of one room, with the rest of the space being used as a conference area and resources space, he said.
Special education therapy requires a lot of materials and equipment, so resource storage is important, Kermavner said.
One room provides a safe place where a child having trouble focusing can spend time away from the hustle and bustle of a classroom, he said, adding calming activities are encouraged in the vestibular room. Students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder can learn how to self-regulate with the help of an aide, Kermavner said.
“They become pretty good at knowing when they need time out,” he said. “They are really learning these skills.”
The staff of 13, including Kermavner and Dawson, has licensed lead teachers and aides to help them in the classrooms.
Berkshire Schools Board of Education approved construction of the new building in 2024. In previous meetings, the board discussed the dramatic increase in the number of babies born in the district and options to accommodate them as they came of school age.
Superintendent John Stoddard proposed setting up a building separate from the all-grade school on the same campus east of Kent State University – Geauga.
The project was estimated at $2.3 million and Stoddard was given authority to negotiate with Boxx Modular in Fort Worth, Texas, for a 10-year lease-to-own contract in March 2024.
An early and harsh winter delayed the installation of the facility.
Kermavner said the occupancy permit was issued last week and he planned to have furniture and equipment brought in soon.
Registration is open on the Berkshire Schools website.
The building will be ready for students when school starts after Labor Day, Kermavner said.
