Civil Municipal Magazine - Dec 2023

353 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 12 WAYNE-WESTLAND COMMUNI T Y SCHOOLS Under the leadership of Superintendent John Dignan, Ed.D., Wayne-Westland Community Schools is optimistically looking toward the future, focusing on innovative initiatives to enhance the educational experience for its diverse student population. “Our approach as a district is around the whole child,” Dignan emphasizes. “We want to ensure that our students are engaged, healthy physically and mentally, and feel supported, safe and challenged.” The effort started early, in the district’s 15-classroom early childhood center, which was converted into a Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) facility in 2022. “Stottlemyer Early Childhood provides preschool for over 300 students,” reports Dignan. He adds that three of the district’s elementary schools also have Young 5s programs to provide a bridge to kindergarten and allow students to learn in a hands-on, interactive way that supports their development while maintaining rigor and high standards of success. Another form