PRE4CLE continues to meet and exceed its goals to expand high-quality preschool to all Cleveland children, according to PRE4CLE’s 2018 Annual Report. Thanks to the community investment in the PRE4CLE approach, more Cleveland children than ever before attend high-quality preschools, more neighborhoods have quality options for families, and children enrolled in high-quality preschools are making significant strides in being ready for kindergarten.

“There’s much discussion in the community on how to remedy Cleveland’s lagging economy. Investing in proven educational opportunities for our young children is one guaranteed way to do it. Decades of research and numerous studies show us that when you put children in high-quality preschool, they are more likely to read on grade level, four-times more likely to graduate from college, and 50 percent more likely to have consistent employment in their late 20s,” said Marcia Egbert, Senior Program Officer at The George Gund Foundation and co-chair of the Cleveland Early Childhood Compact that governs PRE4CLE. “PRE4CLE’s success to-date to improve the quality of preschool programs, help improve kindergarten readiness, and enroll more children in high-quality preschool shows PRE4CLE is on the right path to help Cleveland’s children become successful today and into the future.”

PRE4CLE is Cleveland’s plan to expand high-quality preschool to all three- and four-year-olds in the city, as part of Cleveland’s Plan for Transforming Schools. PRE4CLE works to expand access to high-quality preschool across Cleveland and works with parents to promote the importance of high-quality preschool and help them find and enroll in the right preschool for their child.

Progress with Students

• PRE4CLE has seen a 65 percent increase in enrollment since 2013 in Cleveland’s three- to five-star rated preschools on the state’s Step Up To Quality rating scale.
• More than 4,800 of Cleveland’s three- and four-year-olds are enrolled in a high-quality preschool, exceeding PRE4CLE’s goal that 40 percent of preschool-aged children in Cleveland would be enrolled in a high-quality preschool by June 2018.
• In the fall of 2017, 65 percent of children who attended a PRE4CLE classroom were demonstrating or approaching kindergarten readiness, compared to 60 percent in 2015.

Progress with Providers

• The number of high-quality preschool programs in the city has increased 110 percent, in part because of PRE4CLE’s work to help providers meet state quality requirements.
• As of June 2018, 79 percent of high-quality providers in Cleveland participate in PRE4CLE and commit to meeting additional quality standards above and beyond the state’s stringent Step Up To Quality standards.
• Last year, 11 preschools participated in PRE4CLE’s Accelerated Quality Improvement Model for Step Up To Quality and received high-quality ratings from the State of Ohio by participating in professional development and evaluation and receiving technical assistance and materials.
• 36 Cuyahoga County Universal Pre-kindergarten (UPK) sites are in the city of Cleveland and participate in PRE4CLE, giving Cleveland families greater access to scholarships for high-quality preschool.

High-quality programs have safe and supportive environments, well-trained professional staff, research-based curriculum, and have earned a minimum of three out of five stars on the state’s Step Up To Quality rating system. “High-quality programs are important because 90 percent of a child’s brain is developed by age five, and they should have the best possible learning environment to take advantage of this critical time,” said Katie Kelly, PRE4CLE’s director.

Ms. Kelly said the work it takes to become a high-quality provider is significant, and PRE4CLE-participating preschools should be applauded. PRE4CLE’s partner, Starting Point, helps preschools improve their quality.

“It’s not easy for preschools to improve their quality ratings. They have to be dedicated to the task to support their teachers, who go back to school to earn certificates and degrees, and to re-work curriculum across all classrooms to meet Ohio’s stringent standards,” Kelly said. “Fortunately, Cleveland has more than 131 preschool providers that are committed to providing the best possible start to thousands of our city’s youngsters, and we know even more are preparing to improve their quality.”

PRE4CLE was launched in 2014 and has garnered $14.2 million in public and private support from Cleveland Metropolitan School District, Cuyahoga County, PNC Bank, The George Gund Foundation, The Cleveland Foundation, The Abington Foundation, Bruening Foundation, Thomas H. White Foundation, The Char and Chuck Fowler Family Foundation, The Hershey Foundation, Higley Fund, the O’Neill Brothers Foundation, and The Reinberger Foundation.

View Annual Report