Lampeter-Strasburg townlively.com
NOVEMBER 10, 2021
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LVIII • NO 28
Celebrating 10 Years Of Extraordinary Giving BY COURTNEY MENGEL
The Pre-K Counts program at Lampeter Elementary School provides half-day prekindergarten to eligible 3- and 4-year-olds.
Lampeter-Strasburg Launches New Prekindergarten Program hange. This word, for some people, carries a negative connotation. For others, change is something positive. In most cases, change is inevitable. For instance, babies grow into toddlers, they go off to school, and they become more immersed in the journey called life. The transition from being at home 24/7 to attending school can be challenging for kids, which is why Lampeter-Strasburg School District (LSSD) recently implemented a new prekindergarten program
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through a collaboration with the Owl Hill Learning Center. At Lampeter Elementary School, 1600 Book Road, Lancaster, the Pre-K Counts program provides half-day prekindergarten to eligible 3- and 4-year-olds. The program is designed for children who are at risk of school failure and are living in families earning up to 300% of the federal income poverty level, such as a family of four earning $72,900, who may also be English language learners or have special needs. The Pre-K Counts classroom at Lampeter Elementary School can host 20 students in the morning
and 20 students in the afternoon. For the 2021-22 school year, there will be rolling admission until the program reaches capacity. Owl Hill Learning Center started its first Pre-K Counts program in the Manheim Township School District in 2007. Since then, it has expanded into three classrooms with seven teachers serving 60 students. A unique aspect to the program at Lampeter Elementary School is that it is open to families within the LSSD, Penn Manor School District, and Conestoga Valley School District. Transportation is
not provided, but one meal is available to students enrolled in the half-day program. Owl Hill Learning Center uses resources that are instructionally and developmentally appropriate under the early learning standards of the state of Pennsylvania, which implements a curriculum designed to help children grow academically and socially. “The program is more of a seamless transition into kindergarten,” said Julie Mathers, Pre-K Counts coordinator at Owl Hill Learning Center. “It prepares kids for being in a school building.”
See ExtraGive pg 5
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Business Directory . . . . . .6 Strasburg Seniors To Meet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Students Qualify For District Chorus . . . . . .7 House Of Worship . . . . . .11 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . .13
See Pre-K Program pg 2
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BY COURTNEY MENGEL
As of Nov. 2, the top five requests for 2-1-1 assistance in Pennsylvania were housing and shelter at 42.1%, utilities at 17%, health care and COVID-19 assistance at 10%, employment and income 8.7%, and food at 6.2%. Hundreds of nonprofit organizations exist in Lancaster County specifically to meet these and other needs. For instance, Good Samaritan Services provides a full continuum of care to individuals and families experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. Tenfold - an organization formed by the merger of Lancaster Housing Opportunity Partnership (LHOP) and Tabor Community Services in 2020 - offers housing advocacy and financial empowerment to Lancaster County residents. The list goes on and on.
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