STATESVILLE, N.C.,None — State funding cuts mean fewer at-risk Iredell County children will be able to participate in the More at Four early-childhood education program.
And families who secure a spot for their 4-year-olds will be expected to pay to participate.
The renamed NC Pre-Kindergarten Program will be administered by the state Division of Child Development. Previously, More at Four was overseen by the NC Department of Public Instruction.
It has changed names but the purpose of providing instruction and preparing 4-year-olds to successfully enter kindergarten will remain the same.
The local program falls under the umbrella of Iredell County Partnership for Young Children.
Last year ICPYC was authorized to serve 324 children. This year there will be slots for 287 children in Iredell, according to Executive Director Marta Koesling.
"It's certainly a loss for families hoping to have their kids participating in this program," she said.
The partnership received $1.6 million in state funding last year, but that was cut by 11.4 percent, according to Koesling.
There is an expectation that parent fees will add $137,760 to the program's operating budget in Iredell.
In previous years parents were not required to pay.
There is a chance some parents will have to pay for their children to participate in the program.
That will be a difficult task for some families. Thirty percent of participating families have no income, said Koesling.
The fee could range from $90 to $400, which will be determined on a sliding scale.
"The concern is children who really need the program won't be able to participate," Koesling said.
The NC Pre-Kindergarten Program has a presence in Statesville, Mooresville and Troutman with classes in Iredell-Statesville Schools, the Mooresville Graded School District, and independent sites.
It is a 10-month program that follows the school calendar, and 6.5 hours daily. Children engage in a variety of activities while teachers work to promote literacy, language, emotional and physical development.
According to Pearl Dowell-Young, director of school readiness, the partnership already has 350 applications.
With fewer spots, Dowell-Young said they will have to be "more diligent in how we enroll children."
"We're going to look more at children who have higher risk factors," she said.