About

Preschool Promise is a non-profit organization funded by Montgomery County, the City of Dayton, and local philanthropists to help young children get ready for Kindergarten. We serve children who reside within the boundaries of these Public School Districts: 

ALL Montgomery County, Ohio children are ready for Kindergarten.

We equip Preschools and families with exceptional support, coaching and education.

Our Commitment to Equity 
We are committed to promoting equity in all facets of the Preschool Promise, with the goal of ensuring that all children, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, abilities or socioeconomic status, are fully ready to learn when they start Kindergarten.

Our strategies to promote equity include:
• Ensuring our own team and all Preschool Promise coaches are trained about implicit bias and how those biases limit children's success and can create an unhealthy classroom culture.
• Providing culturally responsive teacher training to Preschool Promise program administrators and classroom teachers.
• Consulting experts to assist us in crafting and reviewing policies and procedures that, however inadvertently, may put Preschool Promise children and their families at a disadvantage or negatively impact Preschool programs.
• Consistently reviewing data on student achievement and learning - broken down by race,
ethnicity, gender and socioeconomic status - to ensure that our decisions and practices are benefitting all children.

Preschool Promise’s Non-Discrimination Policy 
Preschool Promise, Inc. and its participating providers, vendors or subcontractors shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, ancestry, national origin, military status, place of birth, age, marital status or disability. This policy applies to actions involving employees, applicants for employment, subcontractors and vendors, as well families and children receiving or hoping to receive Preschool Promise services. Preschool Promise is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all families, children and staff.

Dayton and Montgomery County Preschool Promise exists today because of leadership by the Montgomery County Commission and numerous local philanthropic organizations. As part of efforts to improve our region's economic competitiveness, they are committed to investing in the next generation of young people, by:

Preschool Promise started in 2007 when advocates who had joined together under the Montgomery County Early Care & Education Initiative formed ReadySetSoar. Its focus was on improving children's readiness for Kindergarten and their 3rd-grade reading proficiency.

For several years, ReadySetSoar worked collaboratively with Learn to Earn Dayton, which was dedicated to improving educational achievement among older children. Then in 2015-16, the organizations merged, becoming Montgomery County's cradle-to-career initiative.

Another critical transition occurred in 2016 when the City of Dayton made important history. Dayton voters passed a 0.25% income tax increase to support critical city services and to offer 1 year of affordable, quality Preschool to all Dayton families with a 4-year-old. This move institutionalized Preschool Promise in Dayton and provided sustained funding.

Dayton made this bold leap after our community successfully implemented Preschool Promise demonstration programs first in the suburb of Kettering, and then in Kettering and Northwest Dayton in the 2016-17 school year. These pilot efforts were made possible by multiple public and private funders, with the Montgomery County Commission at the forefront.

Because of the overwhelming support of Dayton voters - 56% voted "yes" for Issue 9 - Preschool Promise was expanded to all of Dayton beginning in the 2017-18 school year.

In 2017, Preschool Promise became a stand-alone 501(c)(3) organization, led by a 5-member board of directors. It is fiscally separate from Learn to Earn Dayton, though it remains a close partner.

In all of its work, Preschool Promise is committed to fostering equity, recognizing that far too many young children do not share the same advantages and privileges as many of their middle-class peers. In addition to promoting best practices for all young learners, Preschool Promise promotes targeting the Dayton community's resources to the highest-need young children.