Applications for statewide pre-K program open

INDIANA --- Parents can now sign their kids up for the On My Way Pre-K program for the 2017-18 school year.

Families in Elkhart, Kosciusko, Marshall, St. Joseph, Tippecanoe, Bartholomew, Delaware, Howard, Madison, and Monroe are must meet the following for acceptance into the program:

1.      The family must have an income below 127 percent of the federal poverty level.

2.      Parents or guardians must be working and/or attending school or an accredited or certified education/training program.

3.      The child must have turned 4 years old by August 1 of this year, and be starting kindergarten in August 2016.

Once the student is approved, families will choose from any of the eligible, enrolled On My Way Pre-K programs.

The approved pre-K programs are located in public or private, licensed child care center, licensed home or registered ministry as long as that program meets the quality requirements and is registered as an On My Way Pre-K provider.

Dr. Jennifer Walthall, Indiana Family and Social Services Administration Secretary, said this is huge for children in these counties.

“There’s not a much better way to think about how to really grow the strength of a community than early quality education,” she said. “The go live of the new counties for the statewide pre-k program is huge.”

For more information, visit www.onmywayprek.org.