EDUCATION

Pre-k funding meets sliver of Marion County demand

Chelsea Schneider
Chelsea.Schneider@indystar.com
Children at a pre-K at DayStar Childcare in 2015.

In Indianapolis, a staggering statistic marks the roll out of new preschool scholarships that recently-approved public dollars mainly support.

Of the more than 5,000 applicants for early childhood education scholarships in Marion County this fall, funding met just 30 percent of the demand.

Turned away were more than 3,000 of the county's youngest and lowest-income residents.

The numbers illustrate the limitations of the state's first-ever prekindergarten pilot program and other funding sources aimed at sending low-income 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds to preschool in Marion County.

Additional dollars to help send more low-income children to preschool aren’t immediately on the horizon. Early childhood educators and not-for-profit officials argue the need for those dollars is evident, and the state should respond.

But so far, the Republican-controlled Indiana General Assembly has maintained, not increased, funding for early childhood education.

Republican leaders say not to expect the legislature to approve new dollars in 2016.

The current state budget provides $10 million per year to support a pilot program that doesn't have statewide reach. Depending on the outcomes of the pilot, House Speaker Brian Bosma said "we will be prepared to advocate for more investment down the road."

Any realistic push for those funds won’t occur until 2017 when lawmakers write a new state budget.

By then, Nicole Dyke's 3-year-old daughter likely will be too old to apply for a scholarship.

The family applied for the assistance this year, but Carson wasn't one of the 1,525 preschoolers approved for a scholarship this fall, according to data from the United Way of Central Indiana. She still goes to daycare, and the family bears that cost.

"I actually just didn't hear anything back, and I kept waiting and waiting," Dyke said.

Dyke said she was excited by the possibility for a scholarship because "paying for daycare is kind of like an extra mortgage."

"I felt like if we could get a little bit of help with that, we could put money toward paying off loans and bills," she said.

Marion County’s experience isn’t an anomaly.

Among other participants in the state’s pilot program, which is currently limited to five counties, just under half of the demand was met for this fall.

“All of the families that we turned away are families that are likely trying to receive this prekindergarten service through multiple sources all of which are turning them away,” said Andrew Cullen, vice president of public policy for the United Way of Central Indiana. “They are families that are working and need simple, basic services for child care, which they cannot receive because of the extensive wait list for child care services.”

Gov. Mike Pence surprised many last year when he declined to apply for as much as $80 million in federal grant funding for early childhood education. Pence said he was concerned for the potential of federal conditions and requirements being tied to the funding that could have hindered Indiana's program.

A Pence spokeswoman said he’s committed to studying this issue “extensively.” But Pence, “will wait for results of the state’s pre-k pilot program before making any decisions,” said governor spokeswoman, Stephanie Hodgin, in a statement.

A key budget writer, state Sen. Luke Kenley, said prekindergarten funding is part of what the legislature will need to consider when crafting the next, two-year budget in 2017.

“I think it is too early to know yet where we will stand with this,” said Kenley, a Noblesville Republican.

Pence supported and lawmakers pushed to create a prekindergarten program during the 2014 legislative session. That program began in January and removed Indiana from a short list of states that lacked a state-funded program. Children whose families meet income requirements in Marion, Lake, Allen, Vanderburgh and Jackson counties can currently apply.

The legislature launched a study to evaluate the effectiveness of the pilot program. The study tracks participants from prekindergarten to third grade. For the group beginning this fall, the study will be complete in 2020.

One of the Senate’s top Democrats on education issues, state Sen. Earline Rogers, said the state should already have the information it needs to expand the program.

“People felt as though we needed to have some pilot programs and then take a look at the pilot programs and see what affect pre-k has on a child’s achievement level,” Rogers, a Gary Democrat, said. “I always thought there was enough data nationwide that certainly made the case for pre-k.”

In Indianapolis, city officials had a hint of the need before the scholarships were available but the response received was “incredible,” said Kristin Hines, director of the city’s Office of Education Innovation.

Marion County can serve more children than the other pilot counties because of $4.2 million in annual funding provided by the city. In Marion County, 3-year-olds can apply for scholarships because of the additional funding. In other pilot counties, the assistance is limited to 4-year-olds. Indianapolis Mayor-elect Joe Hogsett intends to maintain that level of funding going forward, according to a campaign official. He also plans to make the case for a permanent source of prekindergarten funding at the state level.

The city opened its funding to low-income families who earned marginally more than the requirements for state funding. But preference was given to families meeting the state income requirement, which limited funding to families earning under 127 percent of the federal poverty level, or $30,798 annually for a family of four.

Several pre-k programs have opened new classes to serve the recent surge in new clients.

One of those programs is St. Mary’s Child Center in Downtown Indianapolis. But even with the growth, more needs to be done, said the program’s executive director Connie Sherman.

“I would like to see every child who lives in poverty in Marion County, and the state of Indiana actually, in a high-quality early childhood program,” she said.

Lavender Johnson is attending her first preschool program at Daystar Childcare on the city’s Near Eastside. Her mom, Jessica Johnson, said the program has done “wonders” for her daughter.

Originally, Johnson said she wasn’t going to send Lavender to prekindergarten, but she learned of the scholarship program through the mail and applied.

“Now that she is in, she knows all of her letters. She can count to past 30, and she is learning to write her name,” Johnson said. “It’s just been amazing to watch her grow educationally as well as socially through being there in the program.”

Average scholarship amounts is around $6,300 per child. Covering that cost is a mix of state, city and philanthropic dollars.

But is there political will to increase funding at the state level, which advocates say is necessary for the program’s growth?

Ann Murtlow, president and CEO of the United Way of Central Indiana, said the more than 1,500 children receiving scholarships in Marion County is a "baby step."

"We must not lose sight of the fact that an estimated 7,000 3- and 4-year-olds meet the poverty criteria and deserve the same opportunity for a bright future," Murtlow said in a statement. "How are we going to satisfy that need? Together."

Call Star reporter Chelsea Schneider at (317) 444-6077. Follow her on Twitter: @indystarchelsea.