their families. The district includes not just students who live in the city of Lakeville, but also the surrounding county, and parts of Elko New Market, Burnsville, Eureka, Credit River, and New Market Currently. Covering a large geographical area of approximately 86 square miles, the boundaries are about to be adjusted for the first time in over a decade. Dr. Doug Van Zyl, Superintendent, reports that the district is projected to grow another 30% in 10 years. If these projections are accurate, they’ll have over 16,000 students by 2034. This rapid rate of expansion is just one area of focus that Lakeville concentrates on currently. While looking ahead, Lakeville administrators are also trying to meet the needs of students feeling the effects of Covid-19. Lakeville prides itself on a student-first approach, and its core values are excellence, collaboration, integrity, and responsibility. These priorities shape the dynamic of the school district, guiding administrators as they develop student-focused plans for holistic growth. EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION INITIATIVES Lakeville’s holistic approach begins at the earliest level with early childhood education initiatives. Lakeville’s early childhood education program is so strong that it has a waitlist. Their early childhood program balances social development with learning experiences. For children who are unable to attend early childhood programs, they have set up visiting days in the spring before they are due to start kindergarten. This provides them with the opportunity to become familiar with their future school buildings and routines and helps to integrate families into the community. The early childhood education program was recently shifted to the care of the Teaching and Learning Development department. The shift is part of a plan to create stronger alignment between PreKindergarten and Kindergarten and elementary school grades. Currently, the district is focused on alignment from Pre-Kindergarten programs to Grade 3. 279 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 5, ISSUE 03 LAKEVI LLE PUBL IC SCHOOL DISTRICT
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