CJ Smith fondly remembers the day his daughter Chloe got into the car on her way home from PHLpreK singing “R-E-D.” Chloe now knows basic colors, shapes, times tables, and can even count to 100! She currently attends Little Learners Literacy Academy in South Philadelphia. CJ says he and his wife Cynthia have loved following Chloe’s progress and watching her enjoy learning.
Before enrolling in PHLpreK, Chloe was at a daycare center 30 minutes away from her home. She was happy at that center but wasn’t being challenged. “She already knew most of what they were teaching her,” said CJ, adding that the commute was tough.
That’s when CJ and Cynthia started looking for closer quality centers. Cynthia found Little Learners Literacy Academy online. “We didn’t even know it was a PHLpreK program, we just knew it was 5 minutes from our home, and we liked that it was a quality program.”
Transferring Chloe to a PHLpreK center has paid off. CJ works at night and Cynthia works during the day. Both are able to continue working their usual hours, and pick Chloe up at a reasonable time, thanks to the convenience of Little Learners Literacy Academy being so close by. CJ now spends less time driving Chloe to and from pre-K. PHLpreK saves the family time, money, and allows them the opportunity to spend more quality time with Chloe!
On top of that, Chloe’s PHLpreK teacher at Little Learners makes sure students in her classroom are challenged and always paying close attention to lessons. CJ and Cynthia are happy with that.
“She’s eager to learn thanks to her teachers,” said CJ. “She loves the PHLpreK experience.”
Chloe loves academic studies, and playing too. Her favorite activity outside of singing is soccer.
She also loves socializing with her pre-K peers. CJ says Chloe didn’t know any of the students at her last center, but now “everyone is her best friend.”
As for what’s next for Chloe, CJ says his daughter is ready for the next challenge: kindergarten. He and Cynthia have already started to send applications out!
“Everything for us is on a schedule,” CJ said. “And we’re excited to get a jump start on her next level of learning.”
If you’re considering a quality, free educational program for your 3 or 4 year old, CJ suggests contacting PHLpreK programs of interest and applying now!
PHLpreK, the City of Philadelphia’s free, quality pre-K program, kicked off its third year with 2,000 students enrolled in 80+ centers throughout the city. Since then 250 additional seats have been added, and the program will grow to 5,500 seats by September 2022.
