PHILADELPHIA – The City of Philadelphia has opened the application process for pre-K providers to join PHLpreK, the City’s locally-funded quality pre-K program, as the program expands to serve 4,300 children beginning next school year.
Selected providers will receive $8,750 per per child, based on actual attendance, in order to provide a minimum of 5.5 hours of instructional time per school day for 180 days in school year 2019-2020.
To participate in the PHLpreK application process, interested providers must fill out and submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) by December 20, 2019. A link to the LOI form and information about the process are available online at phlprek.org.
“Quality pre-K is proven to have a positive, lasting impact on a child’s development, academic success, and overall well-being,” said Chief Education Officer Otis Hackney. “As PHLpreK grows, our city gets closer to the vision of ensuring that every child can access quality pre-K. We look forward to partnering with more pre-K providers next year so that we can serve more families and children.”
Funded by the Philadelphia Beverage Tax, PHLpreK currently provides 3,300 three- and four-year-olds with free, quality pre-K by partnering with over 130 pre-K providers citywide. The program began in January 2017, and has created over 350 living wage jobs by investing in small businesses and nonprofits offering early childhood education. The program will expand by 1,000 seats next year and grow to serve 5,500 children annually by September 2022.
Families interested in enrolling their child in PHLpreK this year should visit phlprek.org or call (844) PHL-PREK to find an available seat or get added to a waitlist. Families must live in Philadelphia and children must be 3 or 4 years old as of September 1, 2019. There are no income requirements for the program. Enrollment for next school year will open in June 2020.