Boston Herald: Boston adds pre-K seats with $20M investment

Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald

Boston is putting $20 million toward the city’s pre-K programs, adding several hundred more seats for local tots.

“The greatest investment we can make in our future is to support and center our young people,” Mayor Michelle Wu said in a statement Wednesday, referring to Boston’s “Universal Pre-K” program. “With this historic investment in early childhood education, we can kickstart an increase in high-quality Pre-K seats, bring family child care providers into the UPK network, and ensure all of our families have access to free and accessible early childcare and education.”

The city said the new $20 million means it will have up to 992 total seats for 3- and 4-year-olds, as compared to the 664 it had this year. Those will break down as up to 627 seats for 4-year-olds and 365 for 3-year-olds.

Wu also said the cash will do toward increasing developmental and behavioral health screenings, creating a “culturally relevant and challenging curriculum” and training teachers.

The city also said it’s launching a new “per-classroom funding formula” — as opposed to a “per-student” one — in an effort to keep non-Boston Public Schools child-care providers who are part of the UPK program better funded and with staff that’s higher-paid.

It will also allow many of them to extend their service hours beyond the required 6.5 to better meet the needs of working families,” Kristin McSwain, Director of the city’s Office of Early Childhood, said in a statement.

The UPK initiative includes both BPS and outside resources.

Boston UPK is currently now accepting applications for Pre-K seats at community-based providers for the 2022-2023 school year on a rolling basis, Wu’s office said. It’s open for Boston residents who are turning 3 or 4 by Sept. 1. More information and the application can be found at www.bostonpublicschools.org/upk.

Read the original article here.