Gov. Tim Kaine’s Start Strong Initiativeis finally getting its legs, even if it seems to be a wobbly start. Kaine asked the General Assembly for $56 million dollars, and was granted only $22 million to start expanding the Virginia Preschool Initiative program that eventually would offer universal preschool to any 4-year-old in Virginia whose parent’s desired it — for free. So, for this years budget that brings Virginia’s preschool expenditure to $122 million.

What will that mean to our area? Well, both Richmond and Henrico will be adding additional classroom spaces for Pre-k students.

Henrico County has about 100 children in the initiative. Jean Murray, assistant superintendent for instruction for Henrico, said the district plans to add 68 more slots to Pre-K for this fall. The biggest factor preventing more children from entering was classroom space, she said.

Richmond city schools will add 36 Pre-K spots this fall for a total of 881, and the state money would help buy supplies and outfit an anticipated Pre-K classroom, said Ron Robertson, coordinator for the Pre-K program.

The Times-Dispatch reports. One of those additional classes in Richmond will be located at Libbie and Patterson at Community High School. All programs take children with the highest need first. In Richmond, many factors are taken into consideration including: developmental delays, 2 working parents (or one working parent, and one in full time school), single family households, family history of incarceration, or substance or physical abuse, and many more factors, including income.
Still, aside from funding, the two major problems that continue to be obstacles for the program include classroom space (the funding can’t be used to build facilities for the programs) and transportation (the 4-year-olds in the program aren’t allowed to ride the school bus and many of the parents don’t have cars, or find that the lack of transportation means that they can’t participate in VPI).

Additionally, now that the percentage that a locality will have to pay is capped at 50 percent, New Kent, Colonial Heights and Sussex may all find the money to add programs.

For more information on the City’s preschool program go to their website.

I’m so happy that the City of Richmond School Board is considering Universal Preschool for all city residents. Basically, it sounds like they would extend the Virginia Preschool Initiative program to all the kids who parents want them to attend. That means free preschool from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Monday through Friday in a public school setting for tons of children who aren’t getting preschool at all. What that also means is kids OUT of daycare. Kids away from the T.V. and kids learning how to learn, before they enter Kindergarten and HAVE to learn.

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