Newsletter

We’re excited to share that Preschool Promise is expanding to West Carrollton this Fall! Thanks to generous continued support from Montgomery County, we’ll have partner Preschools in Dayton, Jefferson Twp., Kettering, Mad River, Northridge, Trotwood-Madison and West Carrollton.

Families who have a child who turns 4 by September 30, 2021 (or by their child’s school district cut-off date for Kindergarten), can join starting May 1. If you know of an eligible family, encourage them to go PreschoolPromise.org to learn about the amazing benefits for children and families — including tuition assistance for those whose Preschool is not already free, free monthly Play Boxes, Books-of-the-Month, regular tips about getting children ready for Kindergarten, a pass for up to 6 people to the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery for the child’s birthday and t-shirts!

All of these perks are helping our children start school on track!

Preschools and child care programs are continuing to work hard to safely stay open during the pandemic. Many programs have popular virtual options for families who aren’t ready to return.

Robyn Lightcap

Executive Director

We’re excited to partner with Stepping Stones Learning Center and the Partial To Pie Bakery for Pi Day when we’ll celebrate the magic of math by giving away free books and a pie pocket to families who have Preschool-age children. Join us between 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 13 to get a free children’s book, a free pie pocket, and learn about Preschool Promise. We will be distributing pies and books in the parking lot of Stepping Stones Learning Center, located at 215 Burkhardt Road, Dayton, 45403. The free book is I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Pie written by Alison Jackson.
 
Pi Day is an annual celebration of the mathematical constant π (pi), and is observed March 14, which is 3/14 in the month/day format. The numbers 3, 1, and 4 are the first three significant digits of π. Pi is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter.

Despite the pandemic, our 86 partner Preschool programs are still getting young learners ready for Kindergarten. To support their great work, we created Preschool Promise PLUS to help Preschoolers learn at home during COVID-19. 
 
Benefits include a free tablet with fun learning apps and a year-long subscription to ABC Mouse. Families also receive a monthly Play Box with fun learning materials specially selected to develop children’s skills in reading, math, science and more.
  
Families can still sign up for Preschool Promise PLUS through April 30. If you know a Montgomery County family with a 4-year-old who will be eligible to start Kindergarten this Fall, tell them about this exciting free program! Go to Preschool Promise PLUS to learn more.
 
Pictured here is Londynn, a Preschool Promise PLUS child showing what she created using materials from February’s Play Box.

Do you know a social media-savvy person looking for part-time work? We’re recruiting a contractor to help us connect with young families, children and teachers. We’re eager to engage on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter and to share powerful content.
 
 Are you passionate about early childhood education? Do you like making fun, engaging videos? Click here to learn more, and click here to watch our video announcement.

To help children enrolled in Preschool Promise get the most from their free monthly Play Boxes, we’re creating short companion videos demonstrating activities children can do at home. (Teachers are using the videos, too!)
 
February’s video features Mrs. Hertia leading students in activities that complement our Book-of-the-Month Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus by Mo Willems. Children can follow along while using the materials that have been sent to their home.
 
Watch the video and sing a silly song about fireflies. Visit our website, Facebook page or YouTube Channel.

Last month we partnered with Miami Valley Child Development Centers (MVCDC) to provide information to families about bus safety. As children prepare for Kindergarten, the bus can be an exciting but scary experience. Tyrone Bradley, Transportation Maintenance Supervisor at MVCDC, drives a bus nearly every day and created a funny video for children in a version of Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus by Mo Willems.  
 
Watch the video on our website, on our Facebook page or YouTube Channel and laugh along as you see what happens when the bus driver walks away and a determined pigeon really wants to drive the bus.

Learn to Earn Dayton’s 12th Annual Readiness Summit Mosaic of Hope: From Fragments to the Future is Friday from 9 a.m. until noon. The keynote speaker is Dr. Iheoma U. Iruka, Research Professor of Public Policy and Director of the Early Childhood Health and Racial Equity Program at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
 
Dr. Iruka will go deep into how each of us can improve outcomes and experiences for all children, including talking about anti-racist policies that are particularly relevant to early childhood educators.
 
Click here to register for this free event.