Fox Cities News

The Appleton Area School District has announced that it will not offer Bilingual 4K through Appleton Community 4K or the Appleton Bilingual School (ABS) for the 2025-2026 school year. The district, however, plans to expand bilingual learning opportunities in the future.

According to an Appleton Area School District news release, efforts are underway to launch the grade level at ABS starting in the 2026-2027 school year. The district has set a goal to ensure a high-quality learning experience for its youngest learners and is taking necessary steps to develop a Bilingual 4K offering that best supports students and families. The staff expressed appreciation for the community's patience and interest as they work on bringing a 4K grade level to the ABS school community.

The news release also mentioned that community members with questions may contact ABS Principal Joel Cannon.

According to a Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction policy and information advisory document, four-year-old children have been attending public schools in the state for over 150 years. A constitutional amendment in 1848 committed to early education, calling for school districts to be as uniform as practical and free to all children between ages 4 and 20. Historically, all four-year-olds attended one-room schools in the 19th century, although few teachers were trained specifically for young children. The first private kindergarten in Wisconsin opened in Watertown in 1856, followed by the establishment of the first public kindergarten in 1873, which limited enrollment to four- and five-year-olds.