Wake County proposes tuition-free pre-kindergarten for lower-income 3-year-olds

Wake County officials unveiled a plan Wednesday to expand tuition-free pre-kindergarten offerings to thousands of 3-year-olds living within 200% of the poverty line.

Right now, that would be about 4,000 children in Wake County.

The poverty line, as an example, would be drawn at $25,750 in annual income for a family of four. Of the 4,000 children eligible for such a program now, about 2,400 aren’t already served by a pre-kindergarten provider, County Commission Chairman Matt Calabria said at a virtual news conference Wednesday.

The Wake ThreeSchool program, proposed but yet to be adopted into the county’s budget, would begin with a year of research and planning before opening up into classrooms in the fall of 2022. It would begin with limited enrollment and expand in future years.

Eventually, if 85% of eligible 3-year-olds enroll, it could cost about $20 million, said Gayle Headen, executive director of Wake County Smart Start.

The program would start in classrooms at private pre-kindergarten partners of the county, funded by the program.

The county and the Wake County Public School System will still be involved and principally want to provide the pre-kindergarten expansion however possible, officials said.

“That is our goal, to make sure we are providing access to families and students who need it,” Wake County Board of Education Chairman Keith Sutton said.

The 3-year-old pre-kindergarten program is modeled after NC Pre-K, with adjusted goals for 3-year-olds, such as recognition of colors and shapes, Headen said.

It would be play-based learning, lasting six and a half hours each day. Child care would be provided after school for children whose parents are still working when school ends.

Officials on Wednesday noted the benefits of early learning on future educational success, higher incomes and better health.

"Young children’s brains are ready to learn," she said. “Literally they are wired for better success."

Early pre-kindergarten also potentially means more children ready for kindergarten and fewer children being misidentified for special education because they’ve fallen behind their peers.

How many teachers must be hired or classrooms provided will depend on the county’s community assessment. Teachers hired by private pre-kindergarten providers would be hired under those providers’ salary schedules, and anyone hired by Wake County would follow the county’s salary schedule, Sutton said.