Lancaster schools receive grant

  • 2015-12-24
Lancaster City Schools received two state grants recently that will enable the system to offer preschool classes to children of low-income families.

The preschool program runs half-days, and is held in the former Chief Tarhe Elementary School. The program expanded from five to seven classrooms in 2015, and next year, due to the influx of students, an eighth room will probably be necessary. There are currently 164 students enrolled in preschool, and the number keeps growing.

The grants totaled $240,000, which will fund the program for 60 low-income children. The grant is available only to families below 200% of the poverty rate as determined by the federal government. Preschool coordinator Brenda Zeiders said that before the increase in grant money, there were 26 low-income children enrolled. The grant allows for another 34 children to attend preschool, which she said is vital to a child's early development.

Zeiders explained that the schools serve as many children as they can, and then put the rest on a waiting list. The grants will enable the school to bring many of the kids on the list into the program, and there is still room for more children.

School officials might consider creating Brochures to mail to lower income families letting them know about the grants and the opportunities they present for their children.
Get a Free Quote for Brochures