KOSCIUSKO — Governor Eric J. Holcomb announced 15 additional Indiana counties are now eligible to participate in On My Way Pre-K, making prekindergarten available in 2018 to 4-year-olds from low-income families in those counties. Kosciusko County was one of the 15 counties added to the On My Way to Pre-K program. 

Participating local providers in these counties will be expected to enroll children in On My Way Pre-K for the 2018-2019 school year, with the possibility of a limited program beginning in January of 2018.

“Eligible Hoosier children who start at the back of the line now have an opportunity to move ahead when enrolled in a high-quality pre-kindergarten program,” Governor Holcomb said. “A strategic investment now to expand state-funded prekindergarten for children from low-income families is an essential investment we must make in Indiana’s workforce and our state’s future.”

“We at FSSA already know from the two years we have spent managing the five-county pilot of On My Way Pre-K that children who begin the program are some of the most educationally needy in our state, yet they make higher gains than their peers in important aspects of school readiness such as language comprehension, early literacy, executive functioning and a reduction in behavior problems in the classroom,” said Indiana Family and Social Services Secretary Dr. Jennifer Walthall. “We hope the expansion of On My Way Pre-K will double the number of Hoosier children receiving these important benefits.”

One of the things that helped the county’s acceptance was Kosciusko County Community Foundation’s commitment of a Community Initiative Grant of $10,000 as part of the required community contribution. Darren Bickel, the new United Way of Kosciusko County Director and our Stephanie lead the charge.  Others that helped craft the proposal were Warsaw Schools, Head Start and Early Child Alliance. 

As our local group moves forward, Tippecanoe Valley and Wawasee Schools are being invited to be part of the conversation. Congratulations to our community and to the children whose lives will be improved through quality education at an early age.