Child Care Network is adding preschool classes at two Seymour elementary schools in an effort to provide early educational opportunities to as many children from low-income families as possible.
This fall, the state-funded On My Way Pre-K program will be offered at Seymour-Redding and Emerson elementaries along with the existing classes at Margaret R. Brown Elementary School. Other classes are available at some area church preschools and day care facilities in the county and Crothersville and Medora elementary schools.
Kate Garrity, director of Child Care Network, said the agency currently serves 21 students in its half-day preschool classes at Brown, with the capacity to serve as many as 30. The additional classes at Redding and Emerson will double that amount to 60.
The deadline to enroll in On My Way Pre-K for the 2016-17 school year is March 25.
The new Child Care Network preschool classes will provide a full-day option for working parents, along with before- and after-school child care through Child Care Network’s Kids Klub program.
About 65 percent of families participating in On My Way Pre-K this year have one or both parents working, said Natasha Langford, On My Way Pre-K manager.
“Having full-day, full-week programming allows children the continuity of care that they need, while supporting working parents,” Langford said.
“We have a limited number of high-quality programs that offer full-day options,” she added. “Child Care Network’s program will provide families, especially those most in need of services, an option to have high-quality programming with full-week, full-day care.”
The increase in the number of On My Way Pre-K providers in the county already has had a major impact in helping children be better prepared to enter kindergarten, she said.
Local preschool/day care providers have increased the number of hours children are in their programs from 275 to 450 hours, Langford said.
“Many programs that are not already offering full day care have committed to increasing their program hours for next year,” she said.
Garrity said the program at Brown has been a huge success, especially in serving students who come from non-English-speaking families.
The teaching staff is bilingual and teaches lessons in both English and Spanish.
“Whether English or Spanish is the primary language spoken in the home, each child now knows many words, phrases, colors, numbers, letters, etc. in both languages,” she said. “I love that we try our best to meet the families where they are and break down as many barriers as possible to their child having an enriching experience.”
The On My Way Pre-K program is currently serving 65 students in its first year in Jackson County, but Langford hopes to see that number grow to at least 100 by this fall. It was estimated that more than 250 children in the county were eligible to participate who were not already enrolled in a preschool program.
On My Way Pre-K is a pilot program designed to provide vouchers to low-income families to send their 4-year-olds to a preschool program in the area. Currently, there are 12 On My Way Pre-K providers in the county that have received a Level 3 Paths to QUALITY rating through the state’s Family and Social Services Administration.
A Level 3 out of the four levels means the program has high-quality curriculum in place that supports early childhood learning and school readiness.
Garrity said the majority of students in Child Care Network’s preschool classes will become Seymour Community Schools students, so the partnership with the school corporation is important.
“They see first-hand the number of students coming into kindergarten not prepared, so they want to do anything possible to give children an advantage,” she said. “This partnership helps provide a bridge into the school system.”
To qualify for On My Way Pre-K, a child must be 4 years old by Aug. 1 but not yet 5. Families must be income eligible, which means they are at or below 127 percent of the federal poverty level, and live within the county.
Families that do not qualify for On My Way Pre-K also can register their children in Child Care Network’s preschool classes. Fees are $80 per week for half day and $140 per week for full day. Prices include snacks, lunch, and extended child care if needed.
Jackson County was one of five Hoosier counties chosen in 2014 to participate in On My Way Pre-K. Other counties participating are Marion, Allen, Lake and Vanderburgh.
Those counties are larger than Jackson County, which was the only rural county selected. In those counties, there are more students who qualify and more providers.
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The deadline to enroll in On My Way Pre-K for the 2016-17 school year is March 25.
To enroll in the On My Way Pre-K program, families may visit onmywayprek.org to get additional information and to fill out an application online.
Parents also may call River Valley Resources at 855-591-7848 for information or for locations to pick up paper enrollment forms.
Applications may be picked up at and returned to the Jackson County Learning Center, 323 Dupont Drive, Seymour.
Families also are welcome to call the Child Care Network office at 812-524-2585.
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Child Care Network On My Way Pre-K information and registration nights will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday at Margaret R. Brown Elementary School and from 5 to 7 p.m. March 10 at Seymour-Redding Elementary School.
Families may attend any of the information sessions. It does not have to be the school they wish their child to attend.
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On My Way Pre-K providers in Jackson County
Crothersville
Crothersville Elementary Preschool
Miss Crystal’s
Medora
Medora Elementary Preschool
Brownstown
God’s Lil Blessings LLC
Brownstown Christian Church Daycare Ministry and Preschool
Seymour
Terri’s Playhouse
Lord’s Lambs Preschool
Head Start
Above and Beyond Child Care
Zion Lutheran School Pre-K
Laugh and Learn Daycare
Child Care Network (Margaret R. Brown, Seymour-Redding and Emerson elementary schools)
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