Helping young students who might not be ready for kindergarten is the focus of a new program approved Monday night by the Wabash District #348 school board.

Elementary School Principal Jake Newkirk and Kindergarten teacher Ashton Gordon teacher laid out the plan that will bridge the gap between pre-school and kindergarten and students who might not be ready academically or socially.

Gordon explained the proposed solution would add an academic pre-kindergarten class at the elementary school which would increase enrollment for the district while meeting a need for parents in the community.

The academic pre-k class would be a sort of kindergarten red-shirt year and allow the other kindergarten classes to move at a pace appropriate for those students who are kindergarten ready and drastically reduce the need to retain students after friendships have been established. The school praised the work of the kindergarten team and administrators for coming up with the plan which will go into effect with the start of the 2022-23 school year.