Because many children will not be able to consistently attend their Preschool this year, and other families are opting not to enroll their children at all, we’ve created a new initiative that we’re calling Preschool Promise Plus.
Children who are 4-years old and reside in Montgomery County — WHETHER OR NOT they are attending one of our 85 Preschool Promise partner sites — may be eligible to join and receive the benefit package detailed below.
Consistent with Preschool Promise’s current eligibility rules, a child must turn 4 by September 30, 2020, to join Preschool Promise Plus. Benefits will only be available to families who take the step of enrolling in Preschool Promise. (This initiative is for the current 2020/2021 school year and began on September 1, 2020. All families who enrolled in Preschool Promise and were approved prior to September 1st for this school year will be contacted and offered these additional benefits.)
Proof of residency and a copy of child's birth certificate are required in your completed application.
Children benefit the most from attending Preschool in person. But Preschool Promise Plus exists to support children and families if children can’t be in school or if families have decided they’re not comfortable sending their child to an in-person learning environment. Our intent is to ensure that children don’t lose a year of learning because of COVID-19!
Preschool Promise Plus benefits include:
- Free Tablet: We’ll send all families a tablet to help their child learn at home (including children who are attending your sites). Families who don’t have Internet access will get a small data plan. The tablet will be theirs to keep, and there will be controls on it to limit the usage for educational purposes. We also will ask families to sign a consent that allows us to monitor, for example, if they signed in to educational programs, how often and for how long. This information will be used for research purposes.
- ABC Mouse Subscription: ABC Mouse, an easy-to-use online learning platform, will be pre-loaded on the tablet, and families will receive a free, year-long subscription. ABC Mouse includes fun, interactive games designed to improve children’s language and math skills.
- Book-of-the-month: We’ll mail a carefully selected book to the home of each child.
- Play Boxes: Every month children will receive a box with materials and activities to do at home that will help them practice the skills they’ll need in Kindergarten. We’ll create videos to complement the boxes and help families make learning fun.
- Monthly Postcard: Families will receive a monthly postcard with tips to help their child get ready for Kindergarten.
- Tuition Assistance: As always, those attending a Preschool Promise site may be eligible to receive financial help to offset the cost of their tuition. This help is only available at participating Preschool Promise partner programs.
- Birthday Card: Children will get a birthday card when they turn five, and a special surprise.
Our work to get ALL children ready for Kindergarten can’t stop because of the pandemic!
Our work to get ALL children ready for Kindergarten can’t stop because of the pandemic!