How Does This Story End?
Over 80% of the families we served this past year were ALICE and simply stated, ALICE is struggling. These families made less than the livable wage (according to the United for ALICE standards developed by the United Way).
The remaining families we served had incomes either just above the ALICE threshold or had extenuating circumstances which impacted their ability to afford the high cost of preschool tuition. The harsh economic realities of these families often present them with a no-win decision.
Let’s look at the math for a family of four whose income of $62,000 placed them at the average income level of the families we served this year.
| Expenses | Available Income | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Salary | $62,000 | ||||
| State and Federal taxes | -$11,500 | ||||
| $50,500 | |||||
| Food and diapers | -$13,500 | $37,000 | |||
| Medical Insurance and Expenses | -$ 8,945 | $28,055 | |||
| Housing | -$23,557 | $4,498 | |||
| Internet/Phone | - $2,084 | $2,414 | |||
| Transportation | -$16,388 | -$13,974 |
The challenging choices most hard-working schoolteachers, retail workers, or food services workers face to make ends meet often shock us. It doesn’t take long before they are at the end of their available resources and left with impossible choices. And look at what isn’t on the list of expenses. There are no extra items; there is no emergency fund. What does a family in this situation sacrifice? How do they even begin to hope to find the money to cover the cost of childcare much less high-quality preschool?
Consider, for example, the challenges for a family of four, with two young children. This year we funded tuition for their 4-year-old daughter. The father of this family works full time at Verizon and earns about $85,000 a year. Mom was trying to work part-time but with two preschool children at home it was very difficult. Without our funding, these parents were planning to skip preschool for their 4-year-old and hope Mom could provide adequate preparation for kindergarten. But they found us, and everything changed. Because of generous donors like you, we were able to fund preschool for this child. After this year in preschool, these parents told us that their preschooler had a great year. He made “Great Progress” in his language skills, number concepts, gross and fine motor skills and in his confidence. They said “We truly cannot thank Preschool Advantage enough. We loved the school and loved “R’s” experience and none of this would have been possible without the help of Preschool Advantage. We just hope we can help a family like us one day!”
Or consider the choice confronting the family we just met. Two years ago, this family was making everything work. They were earning over $200,000. They had a two-year-old who was in childcare while both mom and dad were working. When their second child came along, mom took family leave from her job as a kindergarten teacher. She returned to work briefly, but they were soon expecting baby number three. When she applied for family leave again, she was denied and so her salary was cut in half. At the same time, dad lost his job as a car salesman and has been looking for his next position. Last year they earned less than half of their previous salary. Their oldest child is 4 years old this year. He has had a year of preschool and mom is keenly aware that as a child with a birthday that falls late in the year, he will be a “young” kindergartener. As mom told me “He really needs a full academic day preschool”. He needs this second year of preschool to prepare him to enter kindergarten with the tools he needs to succeed. They applied to their home-district preschool lottery but did not win. They applied to mom’s school district as an employee, but the district did not have available seats. Without our assistance this child would have moved to a lesser program or gone to a home daycare setting. When we approved his tuition, mom said, “this is life changing”.
While we applaud as the State of New Jersey admirably moves forward to meet its goal of Universal Pre-K for all 3- and 4-year-olds, we also know that currently 62% of preschool age children do not have access to public pre-k, special education services in district, or Head Start. Two out of every three preschool age children are not adequately preparing to enter kindergarten. The window of exponential brain development and learning is uniquely open from birth until 5 years of age. The preschool students who don’t have access to high-quality preschool while they are 3 and 4 will miss the opportunity to open and expand pathways of learning that will never come again.
But thanks to our generous donors, our fantastic Trustees, our talented staff, and dedicated volunteers, last year Preschool Advantage opened the doors to high-quality preschool for over 100 preschool children. This opportunity sets the stage for a successful and fulfilling educational journey for the students whose tuitions we funded this past year. On behalf of all the families and early learners we serve we say thank you! You have changed lives in your communities and eased stress for so many families. With your help, these stories and a hundred stories like them, end with a great beginning for our youngest community members.
