Local childcare providers hope to see an expansion of a state-subsidized prekindergarten program targeted to low-income families in Bartholomew County.
The On My Way Pre-K program funds the tuition cost for children at one of 10 designated providers in Bartholomew County, which was among 15 counties named in June 2017 to receive state funding. There were 100 spots available through the program in Bartholomew County this fall.
The program has seats at Taylorsville Elementary School and the Busy Bees Academy within the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. Currently, three classrooms at the Busy Bees Academy and one classroom at Taylorsville are used for On My Way Pre-K program.
Shane Yates, director of prekindergarten for BCSC, said 300 families applied for the program this fall. Of that amount, 180 were initially determined to be eligible, but only 92 were accepted, he said.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
Part of the challenge is that families aren’t meeting guidelines mandated by the state requiring parents or guardians to be employed or in school, Yates said. If a grandparent is disabled and is unable to work, they will not qualify for the program, he said.
“We’re trying to get that changed to meet the need in our community,” Yates said. “We’re hoping that On My Way Pre-K will expand to impact more students because that is our ultimate goal.”
Yates also said BCSC hopes to double the number of On My Way Pre-K sites within the district from two to four next year. If that is approved, CSA Fodrea and Parkside elementary schools would be added to the existing On My Way Pre-K locations within BCSC.
The district hopes to hear back from the state in January, Yates said.
The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, which oversees the On My Way Pre-K program, has not made any decisions on enrollment for next year, said Marni Lemons, spokeswoman for the agency.
Whether the number of seats will be expanded depends on matching funds from the county for the program, Lemons said.
Other local childcare providers also hope to see an expansion of the On My Way Pre-K program.
Jill Hammer, executive director of Children Inc., said the program is a benefit to families in providing prekindergarten for a full year.
“It takes away the financial burden and they can find employment and work because they don’t need to worry about where their child is going to be,” she said.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”BCSC prekindergarten enrollment” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Applications for prekindergarten enrollment within the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. for the 2019-20 school year will be available starting Dec. 1. The school corporation encourages parents and caregivers to submit forms as soon as possible.
Applications can be obtained by contacting the Busy Bees Academy, 1209 Sycamore St., by calling 812-376-4569. Information will also be available on the BCSC website, bcsc.k12.in.us.
[sc:pullout-text-end]
