Under the leadership of Superintendent of Schools Dr. April Vauss, the Irvington Preschool Program continues to provide high-quality early childhood education to more than 1,200 preschool scholars through a comprehensive mixed-delivery system.
Led by Ms. Tawana Moreland, Director of Early Childhood, and Ms. Chauntwanette Okantey, Early Childhood Supervisor, the program remains committed to providing inclusive, nurturing, and developmentally appropriate learning experiences that establish a strong foundation for every child’s future success.
Ms. Moreland’s leadership and commitment to educational excellence have been recognized throughout the Irvington community. In March 2026, she received the Irvington Community Leadership Award for guiding and leading others toward success. She was also named the district’s 2025-2026 Administrator of the Year in recognition of her outstanding leadership, dedication to early childhood education, and commitment to the success of Irvington’s scholars, families, and staff.
Expanding Preschool Access
The Irvington Preschool Program continues to grow and expand its reach throughout the community. During the 2026-2027 school year, the district welcomed a new contracted preschool provider, Kings Kyds Academy, located at 13 Smalley Terrace.
This partnership increased the district’s preschool capacity by 30 seats, giving more Irvington families access to free, high-quality preschool programming.
The Early Childhood Department consistently serves at least 90% of Irvington’s eligible preschool population.
This achievement is supported by intentional outreach efforts, including enrollment fairs, community mailings, large promotional banners displayed throughout Irvington, and consistent messaging across the district’s social media platforms.
These efforts make preschool registration more visible, accessible, and convenient for families.
Maintaining strong enrollment brings approximately $25 million in Preschool Education Aid to the district to support the operation of the preschool program.
These funds support staffing, facilities, classroom furniture, instructional materials, professional development, family services, and other essential resources needed to sustain a high-quality preschool program.
Preschool High-Quality Instructional Materials Early Adopter District Pilot
Irvington Public Schools Preschool Program was selected to participate in the New Jersey Department of Education Preschool High-Quality Instructional Materials Early Adopter Pilot.
This opportunity recognizes the district’s commitment to providing equitable access to high-quality curriculum, instruction, and assessment for all preschool scholars, including multilingual learners, children with disabilities, and children from underserved communities.
Participation in the pilot provides the district with targeted professional learning, technical assistance, and opportunities to collaborate with other early childhood leaders throughout New Jersey.
It also supports the district’s continued examination of instructional materials and practices to ensure they are research-based, developmentally appropriate, culturally responsive, and aligned with the needs of Irvington’s youngest learners.
Through this initiative, Irvington will continue strengthening instructional quality while contributing to the development of effective preschool practices across the state.
Enhancing Preschool Facilities and Learning Environments
The district has made significant investments in its preschool facilities to ensure that scholars learn and play in safe, modern, and engaging environments. Major enhancements at Augusta Preschool Academy, Thurgood Marshall Elementary School, and Grove Street School include painting in hallways and classrooms, new flooring, upgraded furniture, enhanced technology, and improved outdoor learning spaces.
Three new preschool playgrounds were also installed at:
- Thurgood Marshall Elementary School
- Grove Street Elementary School
- Mount Vernon Avenue Elementary School
These developmentally appropriate playgrounds provide scholars with opportunities to strengthen their gross-motor skills, coordination, balance, confidence, social skills, and overall physical wellness through active outdoor play.
The district also upgraded preschool classroom furniture and instructional materials. Modern, state-of-the-art furniture supports children’s independence, comfort, safety, collaboration, and active engagement.
Appropriately designed furniture and accessible materials allow scholars to move purposefully throughout their classrooms, make choices, explore learning centers, and participate successfully in hands-on learning experiences.
Technology enhancements provide teachers with additional resources to create engaging, interactive, and differentiated learning opportunities.
Together, these facility improvements demonstrate the district’s commitment to providing preschool scholars with high-quality environments that support learning, exploration, and healthy development.
Building Staff Capacity Through Intentional Professional Learning
The Irvington Preschool Program recognizes that maintaining a high-quality program requires every staff member to understand both their responsibilities and the purpose behind their work.
Every decision is made intentionally to support the scholars and families served by the program.
This school year, the Early Childhood Department continued its Preschool Paraprofessional Orientation and added three half-day in-service training sessions specifically designed for early childhood paraprofessionals.
These sessions were developed to help paraprofessionals understand the “why” behind supporting classroom teachers and recognize the important role they play in creating successful preschool classrooms.
Paraprofessionals learned how purposeful collaboration with classroom teachers promotes consistent routines, active student engagement, individualized support, classroom safety, positive behavior, and meaningful learning experiences.
When teachers and paraprofessionals work together as a unified instructional team, scholars receive the consistent attention and support they need to grow academically, socially, emotionally, and physically.
Teaching staff were surveyed to identify three key topics considered pivotal to beginning the school year successfully.
The additional training sessions were developed in response to those identified needs, reflecting the department’s commitment to providing every staff member with the knowledge, strategies, and practical tools necessary to succeed in the classroom.
Through intentional professional learning, the Irvington Preschool Program continues to strengthen staff capacity, promote collaboration, and ensure that all classrooms are prepared to provide scholars with safe, supportive, and engaging learning environments.
The Early Childhood Department also hosted a Preschool Substitute Orientation. The orientation provided substitutes with an overview of developmentally appropriate practices, classroom routines, safety procedures, professional expectations, and effective strategies for supporting preschool scholars.
Preparing substitutes before they enter classrooms helps maintain instructional consistency and ensures program quality continues when a classroom teacher is absent.
Professional Development on the Rise: Collaborating and Expanding Early Childhood Practices to Kindergarten
The Early Childhood Department continues to expand its professional development opportunities to promote collaboration and instructional alignment from preschool through kindergarten.
Through the Professional Development on the Rise initiative, preschool and kindergarten educators have opportunities to learn together, exchange effective strategies, and strengthen developmentally appropriate practices across grade levels.
This collaborative approach supports a smoother transition into kindergarten by creating greater consistency in classroom expectations, instructional practices, social-emotional supports, and approaches to family engagement.
It also helps kindergarten educators build upon the skills and experiences children develop during preschool.
A professional-development brochure highlights the training opportunities available to staff throughout the school year.
High-Quality Learning Environments and Instruction
The Irvington Preschool Program uses the Creative Curriculum, a research-based and developmentally appropriate framework that promotes learning through purposeful play, exploration, and hands-on experiences.
Preschool classrooms include engaging learning areas for dramatic play, literacy, mathematics, science, art, blocks, technology, and sensory exploration. Classroom environments are carefully organized to encourage creativity, curiosity, communication, problem-solving, and independence.
High-quality materials, upgraded furniture, and thoughtfully designed learning centers ensure that scholars feel safe, welcomed, motivated, and ready to learn. Instruction is provided through large-group, small-group, individualized, and child-initiated learning experiences to address each scholar’s intellectual, social-emotional, language, and physical development.
Supporting Strong Attendance From the Start: Combating Chronic Absenteeism in Preschool
Recognizing that consistent attendance is essential to school readiness and long-term academic success, the Early Childhood Department launched the Supporting Strong Attendance From the Start: Combating Chronic Absenteeism in Preschool campaign.
The campaign educates preschool families about the importance of bringing scholars to school every day and arriving on time. Missing school during the preschool years can affect children’s ability to develop important academic, social-emotional, language, and classroom-readiness skills.
As part of this effort, the department purchased the book Abbie Is Chronically Absent: What Should We Do? The author will lead a parent workshop and discussion on chronic absenteeism, its effect on children’s development, and how families and schools can work together to improve attendance.
The initial presentation will be followed by monthly attendance topics, family resources, reminders, and practical strategies. Through education, communication, and collaboration, the program seeks to identify barriers to attendance early and help families establish routines that support consistent school participation.
Addressing Food Insecurity and Supporting Family Wellness
The Irvington Preschool Program continues its valuable partnership with MEND—Meeting Essential Needs with Dignity—to host a monthly farmers market at Augusta Preschool Academy. Through this collaboration, families receive fresh, nutritious food and connections to essential community resources.
For another consecutive year, the program secured a $10,000 grant from Stop & Shop to support the district’s Tiny Tummies Market. The grant allows the department to keep the market stocked with food and household essentials for preschool families experiencing food insecurity.
These partnerships reflect the program’s commitment to supporting the whole child. When children and families have access to nutritious food and essential resources, scholars are better prepared to attend school consistently, participate actively, and benefit from classroom learning.
Engaging and Supporting Families
Family engagement remains essential to the Irvington Preschool Program. The department provides information and activities in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole, and offers translation services throughout the registration process, parent workshops, and other family events.
Monthly parent workshops provide families with information and strategies related to child development, health and wellness, housing, attendance, community resources, school readiness, and supporting learning at home.
The department also distributes its monthly newsletter, The Monthly Scoop, which features program announcements, family resources, upcoming events, and connections to services throughout the Irvington community.
The Monthly Scoop: https://app.smore.com/n/frkp5
Resources: ECD Resources
The program’s Virtual Transition Night offers families practical activities and strategies to support children as they enter preschool and prepare for kindergarten. These experiences strengthen the partnership between home and school and help families feel confident supporting their children during important educational transitions.
The program provides a continuum of family support from a scholar’s entry into preschool through the transition to Kindergarten, ensuring that families remain informed, welcomed, connected, and actively engaged throughout their child’s early learning journey. Beginning with Preschool Parent Orientation, which was developed in direct response to feedback from the Parent Experience Survey, families are welcomed into schools.
As scholars prepare to transition from preschool to Kindergarten, Kindergarten Orientation extends that support by providing families and incoming scholars with opportunities to visit their elementary schools, connect with Kindergarten teachers and guidance counselors, and become familiar with Kindergarten expectations, instructional practices, routines, and learning environments.
Together, these coordinated efforts create a family-centered transition pathway designed to reduce uncertainty, strengthen family-school partnerships, foster a sense of belonging, and ensure that scholars and families are welcomed, informed, prepared, supported, and connected at each stage of their early childhood educational experience.
Student Health and Wellness
The health and wellness of every preschool scholar remains a priority. The program coordinates vision, hearing, and dental screenings to help ensure that children are healthy and ready to learn.
Through partnerships with local agencies and community organizations, the district also connects preschool scholars and their families with vaccination clinics, wellness resources, and other services that support school participation and healthy development.
About the Irvington Preschool Program
The mission of the Irvington Early Childhood Department is to provide an inclusive, high-quality educational program for all eligible preschool-aged children residing in the Township of Irvington.
The program is committed to understanding and meeting each child’s intellectual, social-emotional, language, and physical needs through age-appropriate, child-centered, and active learning practices.
Recognizing families as the cornerstone of children’s development, the department works collaboratively with families, district staff, contracted providers, community organizations, and other stakeholders to support every scholar's success.
The Irvington Preschool Program ensures children of all abilities and backgrounds have equitable access to high-quality preschool education in supportive, nurturing environments.
Preschool Registration Is Open Register Today!
The Irvington Preschool Program is accepting registrations for eligible three- and four-year-old children residing in Irvington.
Families are encouraged to preregister online through the district’s website. After preregistration is completed, families will be contacted to schedule an in-person appointment and submit the required documentation.
Preschool registration is designed to be simple and accessible. Families who need assistance may contact Early Childhood Registration at 973-399-3942, extensions 1514 or 1515.
Registration website: https://irvington.k12.nj.us/curriculum/early-childhood/
Stay Connected
Families and community members are encouraged to follow the Irvington Preschool Program on social media for current news, registration information, family resources, workshops, and upcoming events.
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Through intentional planning, expanded access, modern learning environments, meaningful staff development, high-quality instructional practices, and strong family partnerships, the Irvington Preschool Program continues to demonstrate that investing in early childhood education is an investment in Irvington’s children, families, and future.