Randolph School opens new Pre-Kindergarten as surrounding waitlists grow

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - A whole new class is settling in at Randolph School as school leaders recently opened a pre-K class for its first year on Wednesday.

Randolph Head of School Adam Dubé says they have been considering opening a pre-K for two years. He said the decision was finally made in January after discovering the huge demand for a pre-K in the Huntsville metro area.

Dubé says his team called nearby pre-K schools to get a handle on the local pre-K landscape. When he discovered that there were over 400 students on wait lists across the city, the answer was clear.

School leaders announced they were opening the pre-K on March 21. Within 48 hours, they had over 40 applications. Dubé says that number continued to grow and grow until applications closed.

With only 32 available slots, the class was easily filled for its first school year.

But, the tuition doesn’t come cheap, it costs $14,900 to send a child to Randolph’s pre-K for the school year.

School administrators say it’s well worth it. They say they have a special edge because of the resources they can pull from the rest of their school.

Lead pre-K teacher Kari Smith says each week specialist teachers will visit the pre-K students weekly on a rotating basis focusing on science, art, music and technology. They will also receive French and Spanish lessons. Even the Lower School Librarian will conduct lessons for the pre-K students throughout the week.

Dubé says Randolph’s pre-K is more than just a daycare.

“It’s really developing early literacy skills,” Dubé said. “That’s probably the biggest goal of the pre-K program is developing and cultivating those early literacy skills. We’re really cultivating those academic skills so when they get into kindergarten, into our lower school program they can have a seamless transition into that program because we know where they’re coming from and what their skills are already.”

If a child is accepted into the pre-K program, they are not immediately accepted into kindergarten. The student will still have to complete a kindergarten readiness screening.

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