The Mehlville Board of Education unanimously approved a full-day early childhood pilot program at Bierbaum Elementary School for the 2025-26 school year at its Jan. 16 meeting.
The program marks the first time Mehlville has provided full-day early education to its residents.
“(A) full-day early childhood program continues to be a significant need for families across our district,” director of Mehlville early childhood Tiffany Schwaegel said at the board’s meeting. “We’re excited to propose piloting two full-day early childhood classrooms as part of our efforts to meet the growing demand for full-day programming in our district.”
Each full-day early childhood classroom will be able to accommodate 12 to 16 students, Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The schedule will follow the district’s 2025-26 school year calendar.
Tuition will begin at $800 per month.
“Our proposed full-day tuition rate of $800 per month is positioned on the lower end compared to other districts making it an attractive and competitive option for families,” Schwaegel said.
Families who currently have a child in the Mehlville early childhood program will have early access to register for the new full-day program. Any remaining spots will be available to new students when the “Mehlville Early Childhood PILOT Full Day Preference Questionnaire” opens on Feb. 14 at 8 a.m.
On top of approving the full-day early childhood pilot program, the board also approved increasing tuition for the district’s half-day programs currently offered at Beasley, Blades, Forder, Hagemann, Point and Trautwein Elementary Schools and John Cary Early Childhood. The district has not increased early childhood education tuition since 2008.
“Even with the gradual adjustments over the next three years, our rates will still remain significantly lower than the average tuition of the comparison school districts. This demonstrates our commitment to keeping early childhood education accessible and affordable for families while staying competitive in the region,” Schwaegel said.
Half-day tuition per month for students who attend one day of school per week currently sits at $60. The district plans to increase this by $10 every year for the next three years.
For students who attend two days of school per week, tuition is currently $140 per month. The district plans to increase this to $190 by the 2027-28 school year.
Half-day tuition for students who attend three days of school per week is currently $160 per month. The district plans to increase this by $40 per year over the next three years so that by the 2027-28 school year, tuition will sit at $280 per month.
Lastly, current tuition for half-day students attending four days a week is $195 per month. This rate is significantly lower than those offered by three unnamed local districts, with the next closest rate sitting at $303 per month. To keep tuition costs in line with competitors, Mehlville plans on increasing tuition to $300 per month by the 2027-28 school year.
After three years, the rates will be reevaluated to see if any further adjustments are needed.
For more information about enrollment for Mehlville early childhood programs, visit https://mehlvillejcecc.ss11.sharpschool.com/early_childhood_education/enrollment.
