Program at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni expands access to early education in Defense Department schools.
The Department of Defense has announced a pre-kindergarten program will open at M.C. Perry Primary School at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan. This is the first step toward universal pre-K for military children attending Defense Department schools. Eligibility is determined by the existing policies at department schools, which allows students who turn four on or before September 1 to enroll.
This initiative serves as a test run for the Defense Department’s Education Activity plans to provide pre-K to approximately 6,000 eligible students across 60 military communities. The rolling-out of the pre-K program at other locations will depend on securing funding, and defense officials have requested over $90 million to establish a full-day program at DoD schools.
“Early implementation in Iwakuni provides DoDEA with the opportunity to test and validate procedures and plans developed for the later system-wide launch of universal pre-kindergarten,” Defense Education Activity Spokesman Will Griffin said. He added that the existing classrooms and facilities at M.C. Perry required minimal changes to meet specific requirements.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For General David Berger as he serves as commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps.
- For wisdom for Defense Department officials as they pursue universal pre-kindergarten for military children.
- For U.S. educators as they continue to seek to recover the academic progress lost during the pandemic.
Sources: Military Times, Marine Corps Times
