With Cranston’s schools scheduled to open Thursday, Sept. 1, the rush is on to beat deadlines with construction, supplies, hiring, bus routes, and more.

Final preparations are also being made for the all-day kindergarten program, which this year for the first time will be implemented across the district.

Superintendent Jeannine Nota-Masse, who has overseen multiple construction and improvement projects over the summer, is happily anticipating a good year for the students.

“I am so excited to see all the new kindergarten students this year. We are offering coding for them, along with brand-new equipment, furniture, and supplies. They are going to have a great school year and become the stars of the Cranston school department,” she said.

Michele Simpson, executive director of pupil personnel services, said the classrooms are being stocked daily and will be ready.

“We have been working very hard to get the classrooms ready. Deliveries are being made. The custodial staffs at each building are working hard to make sure things are in place,” she said.

Dutemple and Gladstone schools will house the two ELL classrooms. Along with Orchard Farms, each of those schools will have a total of three kindergarten classrooms. Chester Barrows and Rhodes schools will each have one room, and the remaining elementary schools will have two.

According to Simpson, there are presently 730 students enrolled for kindergarten.

“This is number is always in flex, as we are getting children registered everyday for school, including the first day,” she said.

Last year, the district piloted the all-day kindergarten program in four classrooms. Simpson that experience will provide the district with valuable information moving forward.

“We will certainly look at assessment data as it comes to us from the students when they are in first grade … this will enable us to tweak our K program if necessary,” she said.

Jackie Pereira, a kindergarten teacher at Peters Elementary School, was very appreciative for all the help in getting her new classroom equipped.

“I have spent numerous hours this summer reviewing the materials and designing a classroom my students will enjoy exploring and learning in each day,” she wrote in an email to Simpson.

Janice Ruggieri, chair of the Cranston School Committee, has been a supporter of all-day kindergarten for years and is grateful to see it come to fruition.

“Honestly, the work and credit for the actual implementation goes to the team that was put together,” she said. “They did all the nitty-gritty stuff to get it up and running – schedules, hiring, purchasing furniture and equipment, moving and making sure the classrooms met the standards, curriculum, transportation, etc. I just made sure we stayed focused on getting it in the district. It took a village.”

For more information, visit the district’s website, cpsed.net.