Vernon and Chaplin to Receive Funds for Early Childhood Education Opportunities

June 11, 2014

Hartford- State Senator Tony Guglielmo (R-35) announces that 32 new School Readiness slots have been created for students in Chaplin and Vernon this fall.

“More children from Vernon and Chaplin will now have the opportunity ti attend preschool,” said Senator Guglielmo. “Early learning is important for the development of young minds. This program will benefit many local families.”

The School Readiness Program is a state-funded program administered by the the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC) which provides high-quality preschool to low-income 3- and 4-year olds in Priority and Competitive School Districts in Connecticut. Priority School districts include the eight towns in the state with the largest population, the top eleven towns with the highest number of children under the temporary family assistance program, and the top eleven towns with the highest ratio of children under the temporary family assistance program. A Competitive School District is a town that has a priority school (a school in which 40 percent or more of the lunches served go to students who are eligible for free or reduced price lunch) or any town ranked in the bottom 50 towns in the state in town wealth.

Under the guidelines of the program, the towns of Chaplin and Vernon are both classified as Competitive School Districts and are eligible to participate in this program. The state has pledged funding for 30 opportunities in Vernon and 2 in Chaplin.

For more information about the School Readiness Program please visit the OEC website www.ct.gov/oec/upk.