JASA SANTOS Star-Tribune staff writer | Posted: Friday, August 29, 2008 12:00 am
After 14 years of teaching preschool at Paradise Valley Elementary, Raelene Shreve is still thankful her program is there to help prepare children for kindergarten.
"Natrona County is extremely fortunate," Shreve said. "We're really helping the community. We've had lots and lots of support."
Local preschools will see even more support in the coming years, thanks to a Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Preschool grant awarded to Natrona County School District.
The district received the grant from the state for the seventh year.
The $825,000 grant will help pay for preschool teacher salaries and benefits, professional development, classroom supplies and fees for program accreditation over the next two years.
Albany County No. 1 and Goshen County district preschool's are also funded through Natrona County's grant.
Preschool programs across Wyoming received a financial boost when the state moved $1.5 million of its TANF money into preschool education seven years ago.
Without TANF funds, approximately 132 Natrona County children would not be able to attend preschool, according to Chris Frude, principal at Paradise Valley Elementary and coordinator for the district's preschool programs.
The number increases to nearly 200 children when including Albany and Goshen's programs, she added.
"It would have a huge impact if we did not have these funds," Frude said.
Shreve said the preschool not only prepares children for kindergarten, but also connects families with the school and community. Parents are required to volunteer five hours each month in her classroom.
Natrona County's free preschools also provide an alternative to leaving children at a daycare while parents or guardians work, she added.
Frude said preschool is one way to help level the playing field for children from low-income families. It exposes the child to a variety of experiences he or she may not have otherwise.
For example, a low-income child may not know how to hold a book or immediately see the connection between words and pictures, Frude explained. Maybe it's because the child isn't read to at home, or maybe it's because the family can't afford books right now.
Not knowing how to hold a book doesn't mean a child from a low-income family isn't loved, Frude stressed.
"It's just that the opportunities have been different," she said. "They don't have the opportunities that are sometimes afforded to children who aren't living in poverty."
Reach Jasa Santos at (307) 266-0593 or at Jasa.Santos@trib.com.