CINCINNATI -- There's a problem facing Cincinnati's Preschool Promise program before it gets started in August: the number of preschools that are actually qualified for the program.
The program will help send 3- and 4-year-olds to preschool for the next five years.
Providers must have a three, four or five-star quality rating from the state. In Cincinnati, only 42 percent of preschools have that.
Vanessa White, the Preschool Promise implementation lead, said that a lot of the providers to know what they need.
"They just haven't had the resources to make that happen," she said.
Help is on the way. The Preschool Promise program will spend $2 million to coach providers to get higher qualifications. They also plan to target some areas where the need for quality preschools is greatest. They call them "preschool deserts."
One of those deserts is in part of Mount Auburn, where Corban Early Learning has a one-star rating.
"You need highly-credentialed teachers to be able to apply for three stars and up, and in this field it's hard," Corban Director Ary Underwood-Grant said.
Preschools with degreed staff and state-required curriculum get higher ratings. Underwood-Grant said the Preschool Promise will help them get credentialed staff and continue education for existing staff.
There will be applications for preschool providers to register with Preschool Promise. Click here for more information or check our the schedule below:
- June 5 – 1-2:30 p.m., United Way of Greater Cincinnati, 2400 Reading Road
- June 6 – 6:30-8 p.m., Mayerson Academy, 2650 Highland Ave.
- June 7 – 6:30-8 p.m., Price Hill Recreation Center, 959 Hawthorne Ave.
- June 7 – 6:30 – 8 p.m., Evanston Recreation Center, 3204 Woodburn Ave.
- June 10 – 9:30-11 a.m., 4C for Children, 2100 Sherman Ave. #300
