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More than 330 children from the North Ward Child Development Center in Newark graduated from preschool during five days of ceremonies before hundreds of proud parents, grandparents siblings and friends.
"We're also happy that the parents share the children with us and that the children are ready to go," said Child Development Center Project Director Michele Sceppaguercio. "So we've done our job and it's an honor. It's really an honor to do this every single year."
Abbott preschools, which are free of tuition, were mandated in response to a state Supreme Court ruling seeking to improve the education of children in the state's 31 poorest districts. Starting in 1998 with 210 children in 14 classrooms, the North Ward Center's Abbott program has grown to 600 children in 40 classrooms, making it one of the largest in the state.
The graduation celebrations, an annual rite of spring at The North Ward Center, were held under the tent beginning June 11, when children from the Forest Hills preschool graduated. Beginning Monday, June 14, the first of four graduation ceremonies was held for children in the Abbott preschools.
Stephen N. Adubato, who founded The North Ward Center in 1970, said children who attend the North Ward Child Development Center are better prepared when they enter kindergarten.
"Most of our graduates are ready to read," said Adubato, who makes it a point to attend the graduation ceremonies. "No matter where they go to school in Newark, they will have a tremendous head start because of the preparation they received here."
One recent study of 1,000 children in 15 urban district in New Jersey by the National Institute for Early Education Research at the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University, found that students who attend high-quality Abbott preschools continue to outperform their peers at the end of first and second grade.
Adrianne Davis, the executive director of The North Ward Center, said studies show that children who attend preschool not only do better in school, but fare much better in life.
"It's well established that children who attend high-quality charter schools like ours have higher graduation rates, increased earnings, were more likely to hold a job and committed fewer crimes," Davis said. "The benefits of a preschool education are clear."
Sceppaguercio said many of the preschoolers who graduated are either already reading or just one step away.
"[The graduation is] a chance for the parents to have a culmination of the entire year of education and camaraderie, sharing all the things that we do for their children," she said. "Today it just comes together."
Corinne Blair, who was in attendance to watch her younger sister graduate, said children who go through the North Ward Center preschool program carry the knowledge and skills they learn with them.
"They really care about the children here so it really shows a lot," Blair said. "She's progressed a lot since the first time she was here, she learned her colors and she gets along with everybody."
