Palmerton Area School District is “well on its way” to starting a Pre-K Counts program at S.S. Palmer and Towamensing elementary schools.

Superintendent Scot Engler said Tuesday night the district has been awarded $255,000 in state funding to open two preschool classrooms, one in each school, in partnership with Lehigh Valley Children’s Centers.

“This is a great achievement,” Engler said. “We still have to follow through some procedures with the Office of Childhood Development, but the biggest threshold was getting the grant money.”

Each classroom will provide preschool services to 15 children, ages three and four, at no cost to families.

Families with an annual household income less than 300 percent of federal poverty guidelines (for example, a family of four earning less than $75,300 per year) are eligible to apply. Other risk factors may determine priorities for selection.

“When children attend high quality pre-K programs, they are better prepared socially, emotionally and academically to transition more seamlessly to kindergarten,” Engler said. “We chose to partner with Lehigh Valley Children’s Centers because their program aligns with the district’s mission to educate and prepare all students for success, as well as LVCC’s established experience operating other Pre-K Counts classrooms.”

Each child who attends a Pre-K Counts classroom has the opportunity to participate in educational experiences provided by a teacher with a Pennsylvania teaching certificate and an early childhood education degree. The curriculum, aligned with the Pennsylvania Department of Education, is designed to help children grow socially and academically.

“Carbon County has a potential need for more high quality pre-K programs, especially within the Palmerton Area School District community,” said Charles Dinofrio, LVCC’s vice president of early education and child care programs. “We want to give our youngest learners the tools to succeed in school and in life.”

The new classrooms will follow the Palmerton Area School District operating schedule and will remain in session through June. Children accepted into the program will attend from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. five days per week, Monday through Friday (a minimum of 180 classroom days each year). The children will receive a snack and lunch as part of their educational day.

Applications for 2018-19 enrollment are currently available and may be obtained by contacting Assistant Pre-K Counts Manager Lauren Becker at 610-820-5333, ext. 212, or lbecker@LVCConline.org. Applications can also be downloaded online at www.LVCConline.com/services/pre-k-counts. Space is limited.

Engler said he is hopeful the program is fully up and running in Palmerton by October or November.