Last weekend, proponents of early education gathered to celebrate the first year of Elevate PreK, a pilot program that offers high-quality, full-day, year-round preschool experience at no cost to families.
The program is geared toward 4-year-olds living in households with income between 101% and 250% of the federal poverty level who are not currently enrolled in preschool.
United Way of Northern Arizona is one of the program’s supporters and co-hosted the event.
In addition to offering an evidenced-based curriculum, the program also offers wrap-around services for families so that parents and caregivers get the support they need.
The celebration included a review of Elevate PreK’s progress in its first year conducted by Dr. Caroline Black, an assistant professor of early childhood education at Northern Arizona University. Her study showed that outcomes of the program included growth in students’ social skills, self-control, engagement and vocabulary in the first year.
