By WILL PERKINS
Glasgow News 1
Even though preschools are not included in the accountability report recently released by the Kentucky Department of Education, Glasgow Preschool Academy Supervisor Yvonne Wilkinson gave a presentation to members of the Glasgow Independent Schools Board of Education at their meeting earlier this week.
Since students at the preschool are mostly between 3 and 4 years old — with a handful of five-year-olds — Wilkinson said they go beyond basic instruction.
“Our job is not just instructing,” she said, “but trying to teach those little ones how to get along, and how to problem-solve.”
The Kentucky Department of Education monitors student growth at the preschool level through the Kentucky Child Outcome Summary. Wilkinson said this allows them to take data and observations about students during their first few weeks of preschool and then compare that to when they move on to kindergarten.
Students receive a rating from 1 to 7 — with “1” being “not yet” ready for kindergarten, and a “7” as “completely” ready.
Glasgow preschool students who entered in Fall 2023 and remained enrolled until Spring 2025 grew an average of 3 points on this scale, according to Wilkinson.
“We can look at how they’ve grown,” she said. “So that’s a big picture for us.”
The preschool has implemented a Pyramid Model framework that uses “evidence-based practices for promoting the social and emotional development of young children and preventing challenging behaviors,” according to the supervisor’s report.
Wilkinson said this model prioritizes having strong educators in the classroom, and they will focus on providing students with a “high quality supportive environment” while also nurturing relationships.
“The first thing you want to have is an effective workforce,” she said. “And we, for sure, have that. They are amazing with our children.
“They get along with each other. They support each other.”
Wilkinson said they want to teach students how to recognize their emotions, going beyond ones like happy, mad and sad.
“It’s a whole plethora of emotions,” she said. “And we talk about that with the children.
“They are able to identify those emotions and talk with each other about that.”
Implementing this instructional model has also given educators the ability to teach students how to solve problems on their own.
“We are encouraging them to solve their own problems, and they are doing it,” Wilkinson said. “It’s just amazing to watch this happen in a preschool setting.”
The preschool supervisor reported that, since September, they have had zero office referrals, and according to a staff survey, over 95 percent of teachers and assistants “report being more intentional and purposeful when they are interacting with students due to our training in the Pyramid Model practices.”
Board member William Thornbury said the preschool “exemplifies what we’re trying to accomplish,” and challenged the academy to use this new instructional model for at least three years to truly see how it impacts student outcomes.
“I love the attitude,” he said. “I love the dynamics.
“That’s where we want our school system to be.”
Board member Barret Lessenberry said adding a preschool academy has been a great investment by the school district.
“I think that was a good decision,” he said. “I think the real benefits of this will be — you’re going to get a dividend on this for the next 12 years in these children’s education.”
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