The Governor Mifflin School District is now accepting applications for a new preschool program that is scheduled to open March 7, thanks to a grant from the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL). The Governor Mifflin Preschool will be fully funded by the state through the Pre-K Counts program and will open with slots for 20 children who meet the eligibility requirements. The funding for the program was released after Governor Tom Wolf signed a partial state budget on Dec. 29.
“Although we are now working on an accelerated time line, we have had the framework for this program in place since we first applied for the Pre-K Counts funding in 2014,” said Michael Saylor, Governor Mifflin Director of Assessment, Data and Student Learning.
The full-day preschool will be held at Cumru Elementary School and will be staffed by a certified teacher and teacher’s aide. The Governor Mifflin Preschool will be free and open to children who are four years old and whose household income does not exceed 300 percent of the federal poverty level, or a family of four earning $72,750 or less.
“This program is not competition for our neighboring preschools, but instead is intended to serve those students who do not meet the income requirements for Headstart, but may not be able to afford other pre-K programs,” said Saylor. “We know the importance of early learning and so this is another step in our district’s efforts to serve students before they reach kindergarten and subsequently, provide them with the tools they will need to succeed as they progress through our district.”
The deadline to apply is Feb. 12, 2016. Applications are available on the district website at www.governormifflinsd.org/earlylearners/governor-mifflin-preschool/ or by calling the Governor Mifflin Education Center at 610-775-1461 ext. 1133.
The district will also hold a drop-in informational session for interested families on Thursday, Feb. 4 between 6 and 7:30 p.m. at Cumru Elementary School.
