Civil Municipal Magazine - Nov 2023

178 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 11 with this program has far exceeded what we had anticipated,” Dr. Daugherty says. Currently, this prekindergarten initiative encompasses 14 schools, serving about 400 students. “Our students can read when they go into kindergarten. With the support that we’ve seen from the community about our center, our goal is in the next several years to open up another center in another part of our school division,” he adds. Moving into the elementary grades, Dr. Daugherty stresses the district’s commitment to career and technical education programming. Students are exposed not only to various career opportunities but also to STEAM programs. A partnership with LEGO Education has been instrumental in some of these hands- on opportunities. “We have partnered with LEGO to make sure that we have educational kits in all of our schools K-12. We are also involved in the First LEGO League robotics competitions. It’s helped us a great deal in