at WCPS

BY DR. TRACEY YOUNG AND LAUREN THURMOND

The Warren County Public Schools (WCPS) district, made up of 18,000+ students representing 120 languages, is committed to educating future innovators and leaders as we prepare students for life adventures beyond high school.

We understand this journey towards success begins by educating children in their earliest years; this is why WCPS has a rich history of focusing on early childhood education. When we prepare children to start kindergarten with the skill sets to succeed, they are more likely to achieve at high levels throughout their education and beyond. This academic year, WCPS expanded its preschool program from 15 classrooms to 43 classrooms, providing over 825 students (ages 3-4) with full-day preschool, four days per week. WCPS also has an award-winning outreach program through the Little Learners Mobile Preschool Classroom bus. This bus penetrates high-need areas of Warren County, providing early learning instruction for children (ages Birth-5), screening services, and parent education at no charge to the families served. On the wheels of this bus, there is a fully functional preschool classroom where we focus on literacy, math and social skills to help prepare children for a successful transition to preschool or kindergarten.

All successful adventures begin with leadership! In all 24 schools across the district, WCPS incorporates tenets from FranklinCovey’s Leader in Me program. This evidence-based model builds leadership and life skills in students, laying the foundation for long-term academic achievement and lifelong success. Not only did WCPS have the first two Leader in Me Lighthouse Schools in the state of Kentucky, the highest standard for implementing the Leader in Me program with fidelity, WCPS has since grown to ten schools receiving the highly regarded Lighthouse designation.

When students enter our middle and high schools, our remarkable team focuses on students’ college and career readiness, building upon the leadership skills our students developed while in elementary school.

WCPS is proud to have a college and career transition coach in every high school forming meaningful partnerships with business and industry leaders, as well as postsecondary education institutions. Through these partnerships, this year alone, our students will participate in over 6,000 college and career experiences including career shadowing events, campus tours, hiring events, career fairs, soft skills and employability skills training, and more.

No matter where our students are in their journey toward success, WCPS and our community partners will support them as they begin their adventures beyond high school!