Nodaway Valley School Approved for Preschool Funding
Governor Chet Culver announces the names of the 48 school districts in Iowa receiving state funds for 2008-2009 under the Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program for Four-Year-Old Children. Nodaway Valley is one of the districts ! This amounts to approximately $3000 per student with a projection of 50 participants totalling $150,000 brought into the local school district and community. In additon 5 new jobs will be created with two certified teachers and 3 paraprofessionals to be hired for the program. The Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program for Four-Year-Old Children was established in 2007 when Governor Culver signed House File 877. The purpose of the statewide preschool program is to expand the opportunity for Iowa’s young children to access quality preschool environments and enter school ready to learn. With these newly approved programs, the state will be providing access to approximately 4,341 more 4-year-olds. Governor Culver said, “Every child in Iowa deserves the best start as they begin their educational journey. With this announcement, we are offering a greater number of Iowa’s youngest citizens the opportunity for a solid beginning.” Districts applied for the competitive state grant to provide at least 10 hours a week of quality preschool instruction through collaborative community partnerships. A total of 161 school districts applied for the grant. The Iowa Department of Education selected the school districts to receive funding based on several criteria. Priority was given to high-poverty districts currently without preschool programs. Also considered were collaborative efforts with community early childhood partners and district size. The 2008 legislature appropriated $15 million for 2008-2009, which is the second school year the preschool program has been available to Iowa school districts. The planning done as part of the Horizons project was instrumental in preparing the grant. The grant readers noted the high level of planning by the community, planning to serve low-income children, and commitment to quality early children education. Now that the grant has been awarded, a number of the Quality Early Childhood Care and Education task force will be helping with implementation.