With the passage of the Pennsylvania State Budget, which included an additional $10 million for pre-K education, the Governor Mifflin School District is continuing to move forward with a district-wide preschool program. The district has applied for a Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts Grant, and has already started receiving applications from families interested in enrolling students in the program in the fall. If the grant is approved, Governor Mifflin will move forward with creating a preschool program for eligible children residing within the District.
‘We have evaluated similar programs in nearby districts and all of the information we have gathered tells us to proceed with the application process, even though there is a possibility that we will not receive this funding,’ explained Michael Saylor, Governor Mifflin Director of Assessment, Data & Student Learning. ‘We are asking any family who applies to have a back-up plan in place in case we are unable to secure funding. However, in the best-case scenario, if the funding comes through, we will have this program ready to launch and serve students for the start of the 2014-2015 school year.’
The Governor Mifflin Preschool program would be free and open to children who are four years old. The Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts program is designed to serve families whose household income does not exceed 300 percent of the federal poverty level or a family of four earning $71,550 or less.
If the Pre-K Counts Grant is approved for Governor Mifflin, the district will hold two half-day sessions of preschool daily at Cumru Elementary School beginning in September. The program will be staffed by a full-time teacher with a background in early childhood education and will feature a curriculum designed to help students grow academically and socially to help make a smooth transition into kindergarten.
‘We know that students who receive the proper education and skills base during their preschool years have a better chance of succeeding when they get to kindergarten and beyond,’ Saylor explained.
Applications for Governor Mifflin’s Preschool Program are available on www.governormifflinsd.org or by calling the Governor Mifflin Education Center at 610-775-1461 x1125.
From Governor Mifflin School District
