MPS’ Early Childhood Program for the 2024-25 school year.  

Milwaukee Public Schools has not yet been notified of federal funding for the Head Start program, so the district will open additional full-day K3 classrooms to provide families with programming similar to Head Start. 

Former Head Start sites will convert to 25 early childhood classrooms at 17 schools. The 17 schools that will have a 3-year-old kindergarten classroom (or more where noted) now include Academia de Lenguaje y Bellas Artes (ALBA), Allen-Field, Bethune, Browning, Bruce, Congress (two classrooms), Doerfler, Forest Home (two classrooms), Grant Gordon (five classrooms), Hayes (two classrooms), Hawthorne, Lincoln Avenue (two classrooms), Longfellow, Lowell, Manitoba, Maple Tree, and Vieau. This includes monolingual and bilingual instruction. 

For families that have already chosen one of those 17 schools, no other action is needed at this time. These families will receive more information in the coming weeks about the start of school. 

The schools that will not have new K3 classrooms to replace Head Start are Auer Avenue, Carson, Franklin, Holmes, Jackson, Kagel, Kilbourn, King Elementary, Kluge, LaFollette, Metcalfe, Milwaukee Academy of Chinese Language, Mitchell, Obama, Marvin Pratt, Riverwest, Sherman, Siefert, Thurston Woods, and Westside. 

Families who chose one of the 20 schools that will not have a K3 classroom, must choose a location from one of the 17 schools listed previously. You are encouraged to choose the school closest to your home. MPS Student Services will reach out to families who previously enrolled to determine their new school location. 

This new early childhood program will offer most of the benefits of the Head Start program, including a high-quality curriculum to ensure children are ready for school by age 5. Each classroom will seat 20 children, with one teacher and one paraprofessional working with students. Monolingual and bilingual students will be served. 

Schooldays will focus on play-based learning, which includes physical education and recess. The children will be served breakfast and lunch and will receive transportation when necessary. 

MPS is committed to providing a high-quality education for the children of Milwaukee, and the school district looks forward to welcoming your child as we begin the school year on September 3, 2024. 

For more information about MPS’ Early Childhood Program, call 414-252-0350 or email Krissy Washington at washinkn@milwaukee.k12.wi.us.