After more than six months of negotiations between Brookline’s teachers union and the Public Schools of Brookline, the Brookline Early Education Program will shift from half- to full-day programming this fall.
On July 8, the School Committee unanimously approved an agreement between the Brookline Educators Union and the district to expand the preschool and pre-kindergarten program, which serves about 300 families in seven locations.
With the agreement signed, BEEP’s school day will match the district’s kindergarten through eighth grade schools, running from 8 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays and from 8 a.m. to 1:40 p.m. on Fridays. Annual tuition for the 50-year-old program will increase from $12,209 to $15,500.
BEEP principal Margaret Eberhardt said the program is excited to transition to full-day programming, which she said will provide more opportunities for “playful learning,” group and individual exercises, and child development.
“It’s really going to support the social-emotional work that we do with children and allow them to practice their skills, interact with their peers,” Eberhardt said.
Justin Brown, president of BEU, said the union did not get everything it had hoped for out of the agreement, but the process fostered unprecedented engagement between educators, the union, and the district.
“One of the real upsides for us was these conversations that we had over the course of the year,” Brown said. “A number of people for the very first time stepped up and engaged with the union and engaged with this process.”
Educators’ workloads will increase, and aides’ days will also become longer, which Brown said was a point of frustration, particularly for part-time paraprofessionals who hold multiple jobs.
He added that with the new schedule, it’s unclear when teachers will have their prep periods, which teachers at other elementary schools have while their students are in “specials” like art, music, and gym.
Eberhardt said BEEP is “still looking at the way we’ll use the time individually in classrooms and collectively as a program.”
One major benefit of the change is making the program more accessible for parents who might not have been available to pick their children up in the middle of the day, said Eberhardt.
Leakhena Schechter, who has two children — one, a BEEP graduate, and the other in the program currently — said full day will make her and other parents’ lives easier.
“All of us moms talk and we’re like, ‘Oh my god, can somebody pick up this person or this person?’ You’re literally a chauffeur driving back and forth,” Schechter said. With the full day and other extended day programs BEEP offers, “a lot of parents are feeling more at ease.”
For Schechter, BEEP is one of the best programs in Brookline. She is excited that her children will have even more time with educators and friends, she said.
Brown said early education sets students up for success, and expanding BEEP will help build a strong foundation for students in later years.
“It’s a great chance to intervene and address issues early so students can continue to grow and make strides,” he said.
Bethany Potere, a BEEP parent whose three children are 6, 4, and 2 years old, said BEEP has been a great experience for her kids.
Many days, Potere’s son — who participated in the half day program last school year — enjoyed BEEP so much that he didn’t want to leave. Though the school day will be longer this fall, Potere said she expects much of the same.
“I’ll probably still pull him away from school kicking and screaming, but hopefully he’ll be tired out enough that it will be okay,” she said.