$4.5M Grant Expands Free Pre-K Education In Bucks County

BUCKS COUNTY, PA —Slots are now open at 16 pre-kindergarten programs after the United Way of Bucks County expanded its Pre-K Counts funding, increasing access to early education.

United Way of Bucks County said it received a $4.49 million grant from Pennsylvania’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning to expand its Pre-K Counts program, offering greater access to free high-quality early childhood education countywide.

Pre-K Counts provides quality early education to 3- and 4-year-old children at no cost to eligible families.

The grant will allow nearly 450 more Bucks County children to benefit from the program. a 44 percent increase from the 2022-23 school year. The program will be offered at 16 of the county's highest-quality early education sites.

"We are absolutely thrilled to be bringing Pre-K Counts to more families," said Kristi Moreno, Impact Director for Pre-K Education at United Way of Bucks County in Fairless Hills. "This funding allows us to extend our reach even further, setting a greater number of children in our community up for lifelong success.”

Expansion sites were added strategically, Moreno said.

“We want Pre-K to be accessible both in terms of money and distance. We tried to be sure that no family would be more than about 15 minutes from a United Way Pre-K Counts partner,” she said.

The nonprofit notes that the increased funding comes at a critical time.

According to the United for ALICE research center, the number of households that are Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE) is increasing. About 7 percent of county households are below the poverty line, but another 27 percent are now ALICE, an increase of 12.5 percent over the past two years.

“Pre-K Counts is absolutely crucial for ALICE. It helps kids enter Kindergarten ready to learn, but it also helps more Bucks County parents get to work. This is a win for kids, parents, employers, K-12 schools, and our whole community,” said Marissa Christie, president and chief executive of United Way of Bucks County.

Due to the increase in slots, the United Way is now accepting additional applications for the 2023-24 school year, but they must be filled quickly to remain in Bucks County. Interested community members should visit www.uwbucks.org/prekhelp as soon as possible.

United Way PreK Counts slots are now available in Bensalem, Bristol, Churchville, Doylestown, Holland, Langhorne, Kintnersville, Morrisville, Penndel, Southampton, and Quakertown.

About United Way of Bucks County

Since 1952, UW Bucks has been improving lives in Bucks County by uniting donors, advocates, and volunteers around the common good. United Way programs focus on the building blocks for a good life: a quality education, a stable income, and good health. For more information, call 215.949.1660 or visit www.uwbucks.org.