Newsletter

COVID-19 continues to challenge Preschools and child care programs. Many still are operating at reduced capacity, creating tremendous financial burdens for these essential, low-margin businesses. Administrators and teachers are doing truly heroic things to keep serving families who want their children learning in-person or who must be at a job site and don’t have the option of keeping their children at home.
 
We are so humbled by these woefully underappreciated and underpaid professionals who keep finding safe and creative ways to ensure children are nurtured and continuing to learn under incredibly stressful and uncertain conditions.
 
We can’t thank them enough for all they do!

Robyn Lightcap

Executive Director

We’ve rolled out a new free initiative — Preschool Promise PLUS — for families of 4-year-olds who are not ready to return to in-person learning, or who are concerned that their child may not be able to consistently attend Preschool this year. More families are signing up every day!
 
Families who join Preschool Promise PLUS receive a tablet (and a small data plan if needed); a year-long subscription to the fun learning app ABC Mouse; a Book-of-the-Month; a monthly Play Box with learning materials; and a monthly postcard with Kindergarten Readiness tips — all for FREE!
 
Preschool Promise PLUS was designed to respond to the needs of families during the COVID-19 crisis. Any family in Montgomery County whose 4-year-old is in their last year of Preschool before Kindergarten can join — regardless of whether their child is actually attending Preschool in-person and even if they’ve chosen a Preschool that does not partner with Preschool Promise. Families who are enrolled in Preschool Promise and whose children attend one of our 88 partner Preschools receive all of the Preschool Promise PLUS benefits and are eligible to receive tuition assistance if they’re not already receiving free Preschool. Preschool Promise is only able to assist families for one year.

Families with questions about their application and eligibility should email [email protected] or call (937) 329-2700. We are distributing tablets as quickly as possible. Please be patient as we work to meet the overwhelming response!
 
Finally, if you know a family in Montgomery County who has a 4-year-old child, encourage them to go to PreschoolPromise.org to learn more and enroll. We can’t let children lose a year of learning because of COVID-19!

Community partners are helping make our themed monthly Play Boxes for Preschool Promise PLUS families engaging and fun. Developed with ideas from early learning professionals, the Play Box activities are designed to help young learners with everything from math and science to art and movement.
 
September’s Play Box theme was super heroes and Back to School. Muse Machine generously created a video inviting children to get up and move. Every month we’ll share a new video where families and Preschoolers can sing and read along, and practice Kindergarten readiness skills using their Play Boxes. All videos will be archived at PreschoolPromise.org and on our Facebook page and YouTube channel. 

PNC Grow Up Great donated Learn at Home kits, which include art supplies for fall fun in October, and activity books with additional learning materials for December. In November, the K-12 Gallery and TEJAS will lead children in an activity designed to thank their teachers. Dayton Children’s Hospital Community Teaching Kitchen will host a cooking activity in December.
 
Thank you to these creative and generous organizations!

So many organizations are working to support young children and ensure they start Kindergarten on track even in the face of COVID-19!
 
Thank you:

Dayton Metro Library, which selects age-appropriate Books-of-the-Month for Preschool Promise families and their children’s teachers. Librarians also provide engaging questions to encourage conversation and promote children’s verbal skills.

Five Rivers MetroParks, which is providing activities and ideas to child care centers to help children love and learn in nature.

Boonshoft Museum of Discovery, which is hosting events and providing free passes for us to distribute to Preschool Promise families. (Masks are required, and the museum is operating at limited capacity to keep visitors socially distanced and safe.)

PNC Grow Up Great, which is providing funding and learning materials for families in need. 

Thank you to the multiple child care programs that are hosting virtual tours of their centers for candidates running for political office. We’re inviting all Montgomery County candidates running for Ohio House and Senate seats to join in a virtual tour of a child care program.
 
Last month we participated in the virtual visit with State Representative Phil Plummer at Dayton Children's Hospital Child Care Center.  As of this newsletter's release we have confirmed discussions with candidates Niraj Antani, Willis Blackshear Jr., Andrea White and Tom Young.  Thank you, On Purpose Academy and Mentoring Center, Good Shepherd Academy, and Wenzler Daycare and Learning Center for hosting these important events.  We are excited to set up visits with all of the other candidates!  

We want our leaders to see up close all that child care professionals are doing to keep children and staff safe and why it’s so critical to support the industry with federal and state funding. These discussions are a great chance for candidates to hear and learn from from these truly essential workers.

Montgomery County Commissioners Judy Dodge, Debbie Lieberman and Carolyn Rice, along with other Montgomery County leaders and PNC Grow Up Great, are prioritizing support for child care by providing grants to help centers and families.

The Montgomery County Office of CARES Act is dedicating $5 million from the federal CARES Act to help programs. Eligible programs can receive up to $30,000. In September, Preschool Promise hosted a webinar about the grants, and we’re offering centers consulting help with their grant applications.

PNC Grow Up Great, along with The Frank M. Tait Foundation and The COVID-19 Response Fund of Greater Dayton, awarded Preschool Promise funding that will be passed on to child care programs and Preschools that must temporarily close in the event of a COVID-19 exposure. Even when a program or classroom is closed, programs still have fixed expenses and must continue to pay their staff. Thank you to all of these partners for helping to keep programs financially sound.