Initial Prekindergarten Financial Support Received

Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz, Toledo Public Schools, Washington Local Schools, the United Way of Greater Toledo, the Toledo Community Foundation, and ProMedica announced today that the first two phases toward implementation of universal access to prekindergarten are complete. A summary report of the work can be found here: Toledo Pre-K Phase One and Two Final Report Executive Summary

A working group, comprised of community partners and education stakeholders, has been meeting for the past seven months on ways to implement a prekindergarten program in Toledo. Under the direction of education consultants Linda Dunphy and Andrew Brodsky, the group has made a series of recommendations.

Highlights of the report include:

Research demonstrates that the early years – birth through age 5 – are among the most important periods for children’s cognitive and social development.
Research shows an economic return of up to $8.90 per dollar invested in prekindergarten programs.
Toledo is home to about 4,000 four-year-old children.
In 2018, only about 18 percent of children in Toledo entered kindergarten ready to learn based on district readiness assessments.
Cost modeling for a prekindergarten program in Toledo assumes a $7 million annual programming budget.
The money would be spent in a mixed-delivery model. Families would receive tuition credit for quality prekindergarten programming based on factors including family income, quality rating of the provider, and the provider’s tuition rate.

Fundraising efforts to support prekindergarten education in Toledo are ongoing. Two initial gifts to the program have been made. These gifts are from the ProMedica Foundation and Pete Kadens and the Kadens Family Foundation. All funding options will continue to be researched in Phase Three of this process.

The work to establish universal access to quality prekindergarten in Toledo will continue. The authors of the summary report released today, Ms. Dunphy and Mr. Brodsky, will have their contract extended into next year. The work of Phase Three will be funded with support from The Toledo Community Foundation and the ProMedica Foundation.