Local News
Cedar Rapids Community School District launching free full-day preschool in the fall
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CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — The Cedar Rapids Community School District is offering parents free full-day preschool for 4-year-old’s.
The district announced parents can now apply for the lottery of 75 open spots for free preschool. The district will hold it at five locations including Arthur, Cleveland, Hoover, Kenwood and Wright Elementary Schools. Hours will go from 8:50 a.m. to 3:50 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
School district officials told Iowa’s News Now the district received extra federal funding.
“We are taking the extra funding and providing an all-day preschool program in five of our buildings,” CRCSD early learning facilitator Colleen Fangman said. “We only get partial funding for our preschool students, and so the other part in our wrap around preschools and other parts of our community, parents have to pay for that.”
The district provides half-day preschool for about 950 students annually.
According to HACAP, Linn County lost less than 500 child care spots, because of the economic fallout from the pandemic forced dozens to close.
Governor Kim Reynolds launched a Child Care Task Force this year to alleviate this issue. Reynolds said the task force has already generated $13 million; amounting to more than 4,000 child care spots.
“Also, I think it would just bridge the gap between students entering kindergarten,” Cedar Rapids mother of two, Kristi Kasper said. “I mean, right now, there are kids that are still struggling with learning letters and there are also kids entering kindergarten who can read.”
Children must be 4 years old by September 15. No transportation will be provided by the district.
People can also sign up for the half-day preschool program for next school year. Children for that program must be 3 or 4 by September 15. The program runs Monday through Thursday. Hours for the half-day programs include 8:50 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. and 12:50 p.m. to 3:50 p.m.
The first day of preschool is set for Tuesday, September 7.
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