According to the Learning Policy Institute, students who attend preschool programs are more prepared for school and are less likely to be identified as having special needs or to be held back in elementary school than children who did not attend preschool.
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| Teacher Caitlyn Cashman gives a lesson to Pre-K students during a class at Raymond Elementary School earlier this week. PHOTO BY BETH PEAVEY |
This expansion includes increasing Pre-K offerings in elementary schools in Windham and Raymond and strengthening partnerships with community organizations.
At this time the district currently serves 66 Pre-K students, providing them with essential early learning opportunities. Yet as the school district continues to grow, school officials say that its early childhood programs must also grow to provide more families with access to high-quality preschool education, helping set a strong foundation for future academic success.
“The district currently provides Pre-K services at Raymond Elementary School and Tu Casa Childcare in Raymond, as well as A Child’s World Preschool Center in Windham,” said Christine Frost-Bertinet, RSU 14 Assistant Superintendent. “For the 2025-2026 school year, we are hoping to expand these services to accommodate 59 more children from Raymond and Windham with a funding gap of just $1,604 per student for the entire school year.”
She said that in total, RSU 14 would need to invest about $102,700 beyond what state funding provides, what she calls “a modest investment in our youngest learners' futures.”
To support this growth, the district will introduce new Pre-K spaces at Windham Primary School and partner with A Space to Thrive, a newly established childcare center that broke ground last month at 184 Pope Road in Windham.
By working with community partners such as A Space To Thrive, Tu Casa, and A Child’s World, this school and community mixed delivery system can better provide high-quality, affordable Pre-K options for local families.
“This system allows us to offer a variety of program models to meet the diverse needs of our youngest learners,” Frost-Bertinet said. “By partnering with local providers, we can strengthen the entire community’s focus on early childhood education.”
Frost-Bertinet says that this collaboration also creates opportunities for shared professional development among educators and enhances support for children’s academic and social-emotional growth.
The benefits of early childhood education extend far beyond preschool. Studies show that the first five years of life are critical for brain development, with one million neural connections forming every second.
These early experiences lay the foundation for brain development, influencing how neural connections form and function, and determining whether a child builds a strong or fragile foundation for learning, health, and behavior.
According to Frost-Bertinet, 90 percent of brain development occurs before the age of 5, making early education crucial in preparing children for success, not just in school, but also for life.
Emotional and physical well-being, social skills, and cognitive development in these formative years all serve as key indicators for future academics, the workplace, and the community.
Hannah Marshall, the Executive Director of A Space to Thrive, emphasized that the importance of reliable early childhood education during a recent interview with WGME 13 television.
“It’s crucial that parents have somewhere they can rely on and trust for their children,” Marshall said. “And we know that the more investment that goes into those early years, the better the outcomes, whether it’s academic success or social development.”
With RSU 14’s expansion of early childhood education services, more families in Windham and Raymond will soon have access to the resources needed to give their children the best possible start in life. <
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