4K Frequently Asked Questions

The Beaver Dam Unified School District 4 year-old Kindergarten (BDUSD4Kids) program is a voluntary, early learning program available to ALL four-year-old children and their families within the Beaver Dam Unified School District. BDUSD4Kids is a play-based 4K program designed to nurture the social, emotional, and early literacy skills of four-year-old children. It does not take the place of kindergarten. BDUSD4Kids is implemented using a community-collaborative model that builds on existing resources within our community. Partnerships between public and parochial schools, child care centers, and preschools are used to provide quality early childhood education for four-year-olds. The BDUSD4Kids program started in the 2008-09 school year with 73% of age-eligible children participating.

Yes, the school district and partnership sites will meet Department of Public Instruction (DPI) regulations, which include classes taught by a teacher who is licensed by DPI early childhood education, a minimum of 437 hours per year of classroom instruction, and 87.5 hours of parent involvement offerings.

The BDUSD4Kids program is funded no differently than any other aspect of the school district. The two primary sources of revenue to support the program are General State Aid and property taxes.

Benefits include: the guarantee of a highly qualified, DPI licensed teacher; curriculum that addresses the Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards for preschool children; availability of extended or wrap-around care at certain sites; expanded parent involvement and training opportunities; and additional resources to maintain and build on quality early learning programming.

Benefits of participating in the BDUSD4Kids program include: the strengthening of partnerships between community organizations, the schools and parents to provide high quality early learning experiences to all children in our community; financial reimbursement to sites; expanded staff development opportunities; curriculum materials; and a strong marketing tool to attract families.

Registration for takes place annually in February at the Educational Service Center located at 400 E. Burnett Street, Beaver Dam, WI.

To register your child for the four-year-old kindergarten program, you need to bring the following information: Proof of residency (see list of acceptable forms), Original Birth Certificate, and Immunization Record. There is also a $30 materials fee.

Site assignments will be based on the order registrations are received, the need for child care services, the need for special education, and available openings at the site requested. The Beaver Dam Unified School District will determine all final placement decisions.

A child must be four years old on or before September 1st to participate in the program.

There is no cost to families for the regularly scheduled hours of the program. If parents elect to have wrap around services (child care at a daycare/preschool site before or after 4K), or participate in religious components at St. Katharine Drexel, the parents will pay the rate established by each individual childcare facility for the contracted services provided.

A four-year-old who resides outside of the district will be able to apply through the Open Enrollment process if his/her home district offers a similar DPI-approved four-year-old kindergarten program. The student needs to meet all the criteria for Open Enrollment in order to be accepted into the program.  Families who apply through Open Enrollment usually find out their acceptance/denial status in June.

Transportation is provided for the BDUSD4Kids programs at the YMCA of Dodge County and Prairie View Elementary School sites only.  Provided transportation is available only during the hours of the BDUSD4Kids program.  Transportation follows the existing BDUSD transportation guidelines.

There are four basic models of implementation. BDUSD4Kids currently uses models I and III.
Model I – School District Teacher; School District Site
Model II – School District Teacher; Community Site
Model III – Community Teacher; Community Site
Model IV – Resources for Parents and in-home day care providers

Information can be found on the school district website, at the BDUSD Educational Service Center, and participating sites. BDUSD4Kids Coordinator, Ashley Jansma, can be contacted at (920)885-7380, ext. 4302 or jansmaa@bdusd.org.

Each site will follow the same curricular benchmarks based on the Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards (WMELS). The curriculum is designed to meet the social, emotional, and educational needs of four-year-old children.

All sites are required to observe children and document student progress on common early learning outcomes. All sites will conduct screenings several times annually to monitor progress and track student growth.

BDUSD4Kids complies with state and federal regulations that specify the separation of church and state. If centers elect to offer religious instruction before or after the BDUSD4Kids program, they may do so, but staff and parents must understand that this is NOT affiliated in any way with the BDUSD4Kids program and that they (parents) must pay any additional fees required for this component.

Parent involvement is a support network for parents and families to expand the child’s educational experience. The BDUSD4Kids partners work collaboratively to offer 87.5 hours of parent education and involvement activities. Examples include, but are not limited to: family fun nights, potluck dinners, family field trips, training workshops, parent-teacher conferences, open houses, parent newsletters, and parent contacts.

The goal of the BDUSD4Kids program is to place children in the environment that best meets the needs of the child. A problem-solving team including the site staff, BDUSD staff, parents, and others will meet if a child is experiencing difficulties and determine how to best support the needs of the child. The team will work together to determine the best placement for the child to succeed. If a child entering the BDUSD4Kids program is currently identified with a disability, an Individual Education Program (IEP) team that includes parents, teachers, and other professionals will meet to determine the best and most appropriate placement for the child. If a child enters the BDUSD4Kids program without a diagnosed disability, but is exhibiting delays in development, the partner site is expected to document the child’s progress and interventions used, and will work with the BDUSD on a possible special education referral after significant interventions are attempted.

All site programs have to meet DPI requirements of a minimum of 437 instructional hours and 87.5 hours of parental involvement per year in the BDUSD4Kids program. All sites will closely follow the BDUSD calendar. Sites may have a.m. and/or p.m. sessions 5 days per week, each session will last a minimum 2½ hours daily. Session times vary per site.