Education is an integral part of children’s development. It is why it must be well-established from young ones’ learning development. It is a reason early childhood education such as Pre-Kindergarten or Pre-K is so vital to skip it for a child. But how much does it cost to enroll a toddler in Pre-K? Is it expensive or affordable? Is it true that the Pre-K in North Carolina?
The cost of Pre-K in the USA
Overall, the cost of Pre-K education varies from state to state or even city to city. According to the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA), the cost of preschooling annually is between $4,460 and $13,158. Per month, this equates to between $372 and $1,100. Typically, the tuition fees in the South and Midwest Regions are low. On the other hand, some of the cost factors include the school rates and the number of days and hours a child spends in the class.
The good news is you may ignore the figures above as some state-run programs promote and provide help for the Pre-Kindergarten. It includes pupils like Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) and the NC Pre-K programs.
Can Pre-K be free because of NC Pre-K and VPI?
The short answer to the question is yes. But remember, there are requirements for any of these to be qualified.
The NC Pre-K program is a government of North Carolina’s initiative to ensure four-year-old toddlers have the support they need. It can be financial assistance and having nurturing schools for their education. It promotes cognitive, emotional, social, health and physical, and communication development in young children. Moreover, it also requires schools to follow NC Child Care Rules or standards like staff and child ratio (1:9) ratio, staff licensure, and sound curriculum.
In the part of financial assistance, the state-funded program frees qualified students to pay tuition fees. It applies to public and private schools and head start centers for as long as they and their schools are eligible for the program. The qualifying factors of the NC Pre K program include:
- Age – four years old on or before August 31 of the current school year.
- Family income – below the 75% average income in North Carolina
- New to a care center – Although it may also open to other toddlers, the priority is still those who currently do not have preschool or Pre-K experience
- Special learning needs -if one does not meet the requirements above, a young child may still be eligible for some valid reasons. It can be because of chronic illness, disability, or problems in learning development. Equally, children who cannot or have some limitations on speaking English are qualified for the NC Pre-K program.
Another point to be eligible for the NC Pre-K program is if a child has a soldier parent rendering military service.
VPI is almost the same as the NC Pre-program in terms of goals. It also targets children who belong to low-income families. On the other hand, it has different and additional details on their set of rules. For example, the child must be four-year-old by September 30 in a school year.
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