NEWS

Proof of income required when enrolling for pre-K

Leigh Guidry

lguidry@gannett.com

Public preschool in Louisiana is mostly funded by state and federal dollars and intended for at-risk students first.

Some parents are unhappy about a change in income verification required when enrolling students for pre-kindergarten in Rapides Parish. District officials say it's a trickle-down change from the state Department of Education and only a change in documentation.

Parents must provide pay stubs or some form of income verification when enrolling students for pre-K in the district, which offers 1,500 "slots" for students.

But public pre-K is not first-come, first-served, explained Cindy Rushing, early childhood coordinator for Rapides. It is first for "at-risk" students — often defined as those of low-income families unable to afford other high-quality child care and early childhood education options.

"Most spots are based on income and those who are at-risk," Rushing said. "... We haven't changed the guidelines. We've just changed the requirement of providing a document of proof."

The change at the state level comes after several districts in Louisiana qualified to have free lunch for all students through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) from the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. That eliminated Food Service reports as a consistent verification system across the state.

"The Department is using pay stubs for a consistent verification process across all early childhood systems," said Barry Landry, director of public affairs for the LDOE.

The district's 1,500 slots are funded primarily through state and federal grants that Rushing applies for each year. While a few spots are funded through the school district's general fund, about 600 are LA 4, which is funded through state and federal dollars; 120 are 8(g), a federal block grant; and about 550 are Title I, which provides federal funds for educational opportunities for low-income families.

Rapides added four classes in childcare centers as part of Louisiana's portion of a federal preschool expansion grant. It is adding another class for the 2016-17 school year, bringing that total to 100. In these "diverse delivery" classes, students are taught by a certified Rapides Parish teacher at a childcare center.

"I write grants every spring, coordinate funding requirements and submit them to the state," Rushing said.

Rushing said there are some students in pre-K in Rapides Parish who are not at-risk or low-income, but they are not given spots first. Giving priority to at-risk students is based on the intent of the programs and their funding.

Descriptions of the Cecil J. Picard LA 4 Early Childhood Program and 8(g) Student Enhancement Block Grant Program include wording like "disadvantaged families" and "at-risk preschool students," according to the DOE website.

"All our pre-K programs are for those most in need," she said. "The low-income students are first priority. We always do that. They just didn't have to produce the proof of incomes."

The change this year is that the district no longer can use the free or reduced lunch form to determine eligibility for a spot in pre-K, Rushing said. She said the state doesn't allow that anymore.

"Now parents have to provide proof of income," she said. "Then we do an eligibility determination on every student. ... We no longer use Food Service reports even though they are the same income guidelines. The proof of income allows for direct verification."

Rushing said her office must verify several things, like the student's age and his or her parent enrolling is the name on the birth certificate, as well as parents' income.

"Some parents refuse to give it, and that's their prerogative," said.

But that doesn't change the rules. They must take the "most at- risk" first, she said, as pre-K is not a mandatory program. Parents are not required to send their children to early childhood education, but it is encouraged to prepare students for kindergarten.

She said the focus of offering pre-K always has been to reach "those that need it most, who are not ready for kindergarten," and for the families that don't have the income to look elsewhere for high-quality pre-K.

"The premise is parents (of at-risk, low-income students) may not be able to afford quality childcare and education," Rushing said.

Districts do not receive Minimum Foundation Program funds for pre-K students as they do for older grades, so the grant funds determine the number of spots the district can offer. Rushing quoted statistics that show only about 60 percent of kinds in Rapides Parish are entering kindergarten ready for it.

"We try to put in as many as we can, but we still have wait lists now," she said.

While some parents have expressed their dislike of the change, Rushing said "it's going to be fine once we educate everyone about what and why."