Latest news with #OnMyWayPre-K.
Chicago Tribune
16-06-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Indiana budget cuts threaten On My Way Pre-K
Indiana is slashing statewide funding for its pre-kindergarten program and advocates say it could reverse years of growth in supporting its most vulnerable children prepare for school. On My Way Pre-K provides state vouchers for quality, free preschool for 4-year-olds from income-eligible families. Earlier this month, the Family and Social Services Administration announced it trimmed back the program because of a state budget shortfall. Former Gov. Mike Pence signed legislation establishing the program as a pilot in 2014 and heralded its enrollment. Pence later flip-flopped back and forth on his willingness to take federal dollars saying he didn't like the 'strings attached.' Under former Gov. Eric Holcomb, the program expanded statewide in 2019. With a voucher, children can attend participating private and public preschools authorized by the state. Last year, the FSSA said On My Way Pre-K increased enrollment to about 6,200 students, with federal funding assistance. By June, the FSSA said it would limit available seats in the program to 2,500 in the wake of a 10% budget cut. Since 2017, the FSSA's Child Care and Development Fund has been a funding stream for On My Way to Pre-K, but recently it saw a funding decrease and now has a waitlist of 18,000 children waiting for an available subsidy. GOP lawmakers pushed through early education cuts when a $2 billion budget deficit loomed because of a lowered revenue growth outlook, under President Donald Trump. When the session began in January, Gov. Mike Braun sought $369 million for the Child Care and Development Fund and the doubling of funding for On My Way Pre-K. He also wanted to eliminate the CCDF waitlist. The cuts worried early education providers and rankled one local House member. 'It's going to be impactful to a lot of children who won't have access,' said Karen Carradine, Head Start Geminus Vice President of Early Childhood Services. Carradine said the state cuts won't impact Head Start but will make a big dent in state provider funding. 'It will tremendously reduce state vouchers and the funding to pay for the vouchers. In On My Way Pre-K, they've changed the rules,' she said explaining providers will have to pay 5%, possibly out-of-pocket. 'That's a big hurdle and children will get 46 weeks, instead of 52 they have to attend. 'I feel providers will be looking at how many they can serve. And at the end of the day, it comes down to dollars and cents,' she said. The Gary Community School Corp. offers an On My Way Pre-K program at its Bethune Early Childhood Development Center. Superintendent Yvonne Stokes said the district still isn't sure of the impact. 'We are committed to supporting any affected families by identifying other resources and means to help fill the gaps of any shortages,' she said. Meanwhile, state Rep. Carolyn Jackson, D-Hammond, voiced concern Monday about the impact of the On My Way to Pre-K cuts. 'Over 85% of 4-year-olds in Indiana do not have access to preschool. On My Way Pre-K is already an extremely limited program to help the most vulnerable afford to send their children to pre-K. 'Now, 3,500 fewer Hoosier children will likely not be able to enroll in pre-K because their families cannot afford it without the voucher.' Jackson, a member of the House Family, Children and Human Affairs Committee, said the financial incentive for providers to accept On My Way Pre-K vouchers decreased up to 46% in Lake County. 'Reducing this incentive will reduce class sizes even more. Families who desperately want to give their child a leg up with early childhood education are being left high and dry,' said Jackson who added Indiana was one of six states that don't fund universal Pre-K. 'If pre-K is a luxury that only wealthy families in well-off suburbs can afford, children living in underserved communities will be hurt the most,' said Jackson. She criticized Republican lawmakers for cuts to early childhood education, but still green-lighting $1.2 billion to expand private school vouchers. 'This is not about fiscal responsibility. This does not help working Hoosiers. This policy is harmful for children, families and our economy,' Jackson said.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Concord to launch full-day pre-K
ELKHART — Four-year-olds in Elkhart County will have the opportunity to join one of the only full-day pre-K programs in the county starting this fall at Concord Community Schools. The Concord Mini Minutemen Preschool will start in the 2025-26 school year. It will be available for 80 students. 'School will start with the Concord calendar, so then they'll start in August,' said Erin Kennedy, the new lead teacher for the pre-K program. 'Registration opens to the public April 1 and then when it's full, we'll get a waiting list going.' Part of a $4.2 million grant called Next Generation School Improvement Grant will be used to help fund the pre-K program. The program will be also partly funded by federal Title I funds, which support schools with a high percentage of low-income students. Accessible and affordable preschool options are few across the county, according to Dan Funston, superintendent of Concord Community Schools. He also said the county is a preschool desert. 'We're going to start with one class per elementary school,' Funston said, 'and then hope to grow from there. We have some construction projects going on at some of the elementary schools, and so we're incorporating some bathrooms in some rooms and doing what we need to do from a facility perspective in order to support that.' Indiana does not fully fund pre-K programs, but it does offer the On My Way Pre-K program, using mostly federal dollars. Tuition for Concord's pre-K program will be income-based, and $150 per week for families who do not qualify for On My Way Pre-K. The program is free for children of Concord staff. 'Between those sources, we think it'll be self-sustaining, but we know that we have this grant there to support it as needed to get it going,' Funston said. The Head Start preschool program already offered by the district will not be replaced by the new pre-K program. Funston said there was a waiting list for several students to get into the Head Start program last year. He said the district hopes the new pre-K program will give more students an opportunity next year. Funston said Concord has been working with Building Strong Brains, a coalition in Elkhart County working on change in the realm of early childhood education and development. Kim Boynton, director of Building Strong Brains, said the county has been learning more about kindergartners' readiness for school. 'Only 40 percent of Elkhart County kindergarteners have all the needed skills to support their success,' Boynton said. 'Building Strong Brains, a coalition of 70 organizations, is working together to create opportunities for children to be ready to learn and thrive as they arrive at kindergarten. We are thrilled when opportunities emerge to help children and their families.' Parents interested in learning more about the program can visit www. preschool.
