Roxana Abucoby’s son Santi shyly hid behind his mother as she dropped him off for his first day of preschool. If not for the help of the Wake ThreeSchool program, Abucoby said he would be spending the day at home with her, because she says she can’t afford child care.
Wake ThreeSchool first started two years ago with funding for Wake County three-year-olds from low-income families to attend high quality preschool free of charge. In June, the Wake County Board of Commissioners increased funding in the county budget by $2.5 million to increase the number of children served from 200 to 300. Those new children are starting preschool now.
Abucoby said she initially looked for preschool options in Wake County and found centers that cost about $500 a week for part-time care. Then she received an email from Wake Smart Start saying that her son might be eligible for Wake ThreeSchool, after her older child had participated in the state subsidized NC Pre-K program for four-year-olds.
“This was such a blessing, especially when you have more than one kid,” Abucoby said. “By the time they get to elementary, they will be prepared, and it helps parents, too.”
Wake County Smart Start, which administers Wake ThreeSchool, says children who participated in the first two years of the program performed better on pre-k assessments at age four compared to those who did not. These assessments test a child’s motor skills, language abilities and social-emotional skills — for example, evidence that the child can grasp a ball, count to ten, hold a marker, or play with a friend.
Gayle Headen, executive director of Wake County Smart Start, said even after the recent expansion of Wake ThreeSchool, the program would need an additional $10 million in funding to meet the needs of eligible families.
“Despite the expanding program, we still face overwhelming demand. This year, we received over 900 eligible applications for 300 spots — about three eligible children for each available spot,” Headen said.
The program gives first priority to applicants based on their household income, or if a child has speech delays or comes from a household where English is not the native language.
Headen said she hopes the program will gain private funding from the business community to continue to expand.
Shinica Thomas, chair of the Wake County Board of Commissioners, and was present at the first day of school at the Safe Place Child Enrichment Center in Raleigh.
“These children come from some of our community’s most vulnerable families,” Thomas said. “Wake ThreeSchool removes their financial barriers to preschool and gives their three year olds access to a top notch education at centers like this one.”
