STATEHOUSE (Feb. 7, 2017) — State Rep. Holli Sullivan’s (R-Evansville) legislation to expand the On My Way Pre-K pilot program passed out of the Indiana House of Representatives today.
House Bill 1004 would expand the state’s On My Way Pre-K, a pilot program that was established in 2014 and currently serves nearly 2,300 students in five counties. Under this proposal, up to five more counties would be added, nearly doubling the amount of low-income families who could benefit from the program. Sullivan said only high-quality programs and providers in the new counties would be eligible to participate.
“Research shows that low-income children will often arrive at kindergarten academically behind their classmates by up to 18 months,†Sullivan said. “Offering this high-quality program to those students gives them a strong foundation to help close the achievement gap they may face during their educational career.â€
In addition, this legislation co-authored by Sullivan would revise the program’s eligibility requirement and threshold from 127 percent of the federal poverty level to 150 percent of the federal free or reduced lunch program. Sullivan said priority would be given to children who are most in need.
House Bill 1004 now moves to the Senate for consideration. Visit iga.in.gov to learn more about this legislation.
