Camden educators are on a mission, going door-to-door to register kids for free, full-day preschool

Carrying yard signs and pamphlets, the band of educators set out on a mission in Camden’s Parkside neighborhood.

They scoured the houses near the Martha F. Wilson Early Childhood Development Center for hours looking for more recruits for the 2023-2024 school year: 3- to 5-year-olds to enroll in preschool. They have a daunting task: They’d like to increase their enrollment by at least 1,100 more children.

“After COVID, we took a hit,” said principal Loray Vaughn. “We’re looking for our babies.”

For the 2022-2023 school year, there were 1,835 preschool students enrolled within the Camden school district, including 741 in district schools, 726 with private providers and 368 in Head Start programs. The Child Development Center houses the only standalone preschool program with about 400 students at the location.

Like other districts, preschool enrollment in Camden declined sharply during the pandemic, with 1,504 students in the 2020-2021 school year, according to statistics provided by the district. Before the coronvirus shut down schools, there were about 2,167 preschoolers in the 2019-2020 school year.

So far, about 1,059 students are registered for the upcoming 2023-2024 school year, the district said. The goal is to enroll at least 2,200 by the Oct. 15 reporting deadline for state funding.

“We want to be fully enrolled,” said Nichole DeSesso, an early childhood supervisor. Full day preschool typically runs from roughly 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m, with up to 15 students per class.

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At a brief meeting at the Early Childhood Development Center in the city’s Parkside section, Tanya Gillespie-Lambert, a community and parent involvement specialist for early childhood education, gave marching orders to about two-dozen teachers and education specialists. They had a pep rally outside before fanning out in teams in the near 90-degree weather for about two hours of door-knocking. The recruiters plan to maintain the neighborhood campaign every Thursday through late summer.

“Nobody seems to know about this treasure gem,” said Gillespie-Lambert. Parents can send their preschoolers to the center or neighborhood schools for free, full-day preschool. All the classes are taught by certified teachers, and students are served breakfast and lunch.

Experts say children who attend quality preschool typically will have higher math and reading skills, are better prepared for kindergarten, behave better in class, and are more likely to graduate from high school and attend college. Disadvantaged kids and English language learners often make the most gains, studies show.

“It’s super important to have all children in pre-K if possible,” said Zeynep I. Ercan, a professor of early childhood education at Rowan University and co-director of the Early Childhood Leadership Institute.

One team led by Gillespie-Lambert ventured out last Thursday, knocking on doors on several well-kept blocks near Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital. They greeted residents who were tending yards, and passed out brochures and made pitches about the preschool program.

They approached anyone who would listen, even older residents who may have grandchildren. They also put up yard signs in key locations. Billboards in English and Spanish are scattered around the 9-square-mile city of about 70,000.

“A lot of people still say they didn’t know,” Gillespie-Lambert said.

Besides being unaware of the program, some parents wrongly believe their children must be potty trained to enroll in preschool, Gillespie-Lambert said. Others don’t know that children can be enrolled beginning at age 3, she said.

Gillespie-Lambert believes the district will likely meet its recruitment goal. There is also a radio campaign planned, she said.

Camden, a state takeover district since 2013, has had a free preschool program for decades, with funding a result of the state Supreme Court Abbott v. Burke case that sought to level the playing field between economically depressed districts and their more affluent suburban counterparts

Zeynep said Camden’s program has a developmentally appropriate curriculum and has become a model for other districts. The program prepares students for kindergarten, helping them with social and emotional learning, motor skills, self-esteem building and how to get along with others.

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Gov. Phil Murphy wants to expand free, public, full-day preschool to every district in the state and has increased aid to help districts implement it. He has acknowledged that universal preschool for every eligible 3- and 4-year-old could take several years. Without additional state aid, some districts have started half-day programs that charge tuition.