Pre-Kindergarten Enrollment Could Double

Twice as many Cumberland County 4-year-olds could enroll in pre-kindergarten classes if the county is required to provide pre-K education to all youngsters who are eligible, state officials said Friday. 

Anna Carter, deputy director of the N.C. Division of Child Development, said Cumberland County has 1,500 students participating in pre-kindergarten programs this fall and another 1,600 on a waiting list.

“Many students have been screened and are considered eligible, but they are waiting for a slot in one of the pre-Ks to open up,” said Alana Warren, a local school system official.

A state Superior Court judge ruled last month that it is the state’s duty to provide pre-kindergarten services to children in need, and Gov. Beverly Perdue has ordered the state Department of Public Instruction and Health and Human Services to begin planning an expansion of the pre-K program.

Meanwhile, the state attorney general has filed an appeal of the judge’s order after Republican lawmakers questioned the financial ability of the state to meet the pre-K requirement. Just recently, the legislature voted to cut the state’s preschool funding by 20 percent and required parents to help pay a portion of the cost.

About 32,000 North Carolina 4-year-olds were enrolled in pre-K programs last year. Approximately 60,000 were potentially eligible, state officials said.

The Cumberland County School System has 34 pre-K classrooms serving about 1,000 students. Warren said about 500 students are on the school system’s waiting lists for pre-kindergarten spaces.

Other pre-kindergarten programs serving an additional 600 students in the county are run by private or nonprofit organizations.

Pre-K classes are aimed at improving readiness skills for children who may be at risk for school failure due to factors such low household incomes, English as a second language, or having parents on active-duty military status.

Home to the U.S. Army’s Fort Bragg base, about a third of students enrolled in Cumberland County schools come from military families.

Cumberland County is North Carolina’s fourth-largest school district and has a total enrollment of more than 53,000 students. 

The school system spends approximately $8,200 per pupil per year, according to the county’s web site.

About 60 percent of funding comes through the state, 23 percent from county government and 15 percent from federal and private sources.