Free Bilingual Preschool for Income Eligible Families

The Vashon Island School District (VISD) has received a highly sought after grant from Washington State’s Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) to start a free Spanish/English bilingual preschool for three to four year old children whose families are income eligible. The program, called Mi Escuelita Preschool, will have its first day November 4, 2014 and is currently accepting applications to fill 20 spots. The preschool hours will be Monday through Thursday, 9am to 3:30pm at Chautauqua Elementary and follow the school district calendar.

For nearly a decade, VISD Director of Instructional Services, Roxanne Lyons, has sought the grant only to be turned away as ECEAP had a hold on funding. That changed this past June when Lyons placed her annual phone call to their office and received word that ECEAP was accepting grant requests.

“We are beyond thrilled with this news,” said Lyons. The pool of applicants for the grant was competitive. Lyons believes that VISD’s proposal to use the funds to create a bilingual program, a groundbreaking model for ECEAP, played a role in landing the grant.

Lyons is passionate about the link between high quality preschool programs to a child’s success in later years. A report published by the Foundation for Child Development (Investing in Our Future: The Evidence Base on Preschool Education) suggests that attending a preschool program has, ‘...long-term effects on important societal outcomes such as high school graduation, years of education completed, earnings, and reduced crime, and teen pregnancy…’

The program has room to fund 20 three and four year old children, providing meals, medical and vision screening, and family support in addition to instruction. Lyons explains, “The family income must be at 110 percent of poverty level with consideration also given to children who are homeless, in temporary housing or in foster care.”

The dual language program will have learning take place half of the day in English and half the day in Spanish with an emphasis on Spanish culture wherever applicable. According to Lyons, dual language programs foster biliteracy and academic achievement through instruction in two languages.

Interested families are encouraged to pick up an application at Chautauqua Elementary office during school hours or download a copy from the Schools & Programs tab of the VISD website: www.vashonsd.org. The first deadline for applications is October 6th, 2014 but will continue until all spots are filled. The District has resources available to help families complete the application, if needed.

Additionally, VISD is actively seeking one bi-lingual speaking specialist to work in the classroom. More information can be found in the Employment section of the VISD website or by contacting Lyons at 206-463-8531.