Gary’s Bethune Early Childhood Development Center will shore up its roof and expand its classroom offerings with a $50,000 grant from Early Learning Indiana.
Bethune is the lone Northwest Indiana program to receive a grant and one of 11 statewide to split $470,000 in grant funding.
Principal Karon Ramsey said drug giant Eli Lilly, based in Indianapolis, finances the grant program to help low-income children attend high quality preschools.
“I was very proud,” said Ramsey. “Most of the grants went to southern Indiana.”
Ramsey said the grant will allow the school, operated by the Gary Community School Corp. at 2367 E. 21st Ave., to increase its enrollment by about 132 children.
She said the school’s enrollment now is 543 with a waiting list of nearly 70 children.
She said the school offers traditional preschool classes for 3- and 4-year-olds, Montessori, and special education classes. The Montessori program had been recently downsized by the retirements of instructors. Ramsey said two teachers will receive Montessori training in June with the grant proceeds, allowing the program to add two more Montessori classrooms when school opens in the fall.
In addition, grant money will go toward fixing a leaky roof and updating plumbing fixtures.
Meanwhile, Ramsey said Bethune will soon participate in the state On My Way Pre-K program that provides low-income families with vouchers for their children to attend highly rated schools before they start kindergarten. Applications are at the school and the deadline to apply is March 25.
Children are selected by a random computerized drawing.
The preschool program was developed by Gov. Mike Pence in 2014 after he opted not to seek $80 million in federal preschool funding for Indiana. The General Assembly approved Pence’s preschool pilot in 2014, setting aside $10 million a year to send an estimated 2,500 children to preschool in five counties, including Lake. Pence wanted to include 40,000 children.
The new state program drew criticism after the Indianapolis Star found the majority of families who applied for preschool vouchers were turned away because of limited funding. The Star found that only 40 percent of those who applied in Lake County were accepted.
Also, programs that do participate have to match some of the state funding.
Last month, during a Northwest Indiana appearance, Pence said accepting the U.S. Department of Education $80 million grant would be premature.
“I just simply did not want to involve Indiana in a federal grant that always brings strings,” Pence said.
“I fully expect it to come. Our pilot is going well,” he said.
He said his administration deserves credit for establishing Indiana’s first pre-K state program, even though the legislature trimmed his original funding request.
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