Vanderburgh one of five counties selected for prekindergarten pilot program

The program is on track to launch in early 2015, according to Pence’s office, after the Indiana General Assembly with strong backing by the Republican governor established the five-county pilot during this year’s legislative session. The program will offer grants to 4-year-olds from low-income families and is anticipated to serve from 1,500 to 5,000 children.

Some of Vanderburgh County’s prekindergarten programs will be able to enroll students as early as January, said Jennifer Drake, president and CEO of 4C of Southern Indiana, Inc. The organization serves as the child care resource and referral agency for 14 counties in Southwestern Indiana and led Vanderburgh County’s application.

Drake said the county will look initially to serve 150 students through the program, but planned expansions could double that number.

Other counties chosen were Allen, Jackson, Lake and Marion. The selection process focused on the need for access to early childhood education in a given county and the county’s ability and readiness to meet that need.

“We didn’t want to lose sight of the fact that this is a pilot program, so we wanted to choose communities where there was a demonstrated need, where there was an existing capacity to meet that need,” Pence said.

Counties also had to show the ability to raise private donations for the program to supplement the $10 million in funding the state will provide. The Southwest Indiana Business Leaders Roundtable on Early Childhood has committed $1 million over two years to help with the prekindergarten pilot and a second state grant program also focused on early childhood education.

The range of students the program may serve in the five counties is broad because it depends on the amount of matching funds the counties are able to raise and whether parents choose full-time or part-time programs, said Marni Lemons, a spokeswoman with the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, which is administering the pilot.

“The prekindergarten pilot is a wonderful opportunity to expand early care and education services to young children and families,” Drake said. “It’s also really important to showcase the value of public-private partnerships.”

Under the program, Hoosier 4-year-olds from families who earn up to 127 percent of the federal poverty level, which for a family of four is approximately $30,000, are eligible to apply if they live in one of the five counties chosen for the pilot. The grant amounts range from $2,500 to $6,800.

The grants can be used at accredited private schools, public schools and community-based early education providers who have met Level 3 or Level 4 in the state’s voluntary child care rating system called Paths to Quality.

Pence said the state wants to roll out the pilot program in an orderly way and measure results. The state is working to implement a study to track participants of the pilot program to gauge academic success through third grade. The state also is working on a kindergarten readiness assessment for the pilot program and an accountability system.

Pence said questions about ongoing funding or what the program might look like in the future should wait “until we’ve implemented the program and begun to get the results.”

The five counties were chosen from a list of 18 finalists. FSSA chose the five final counties with help from evaluators in academia, nonprofit and business interests, according to Tuesday’s announcement.

Though the grants for the prekindergarten pilot are a few months off, Vanderburgh County families who meet income requirements can apply for an early childhood grant program already in place, Drake said.

The grants provide preschool education at St. Vincent’s, Milestones Child Development Center, Carver Daycare, CAPE Place Head Start and CAPE Head Start Enterprise Zone. Drake said those programs are currently enrolling and space is still available. For that program, a family of four can make up to $23,856 annually to qualify.