PRESCHOOL EXPANSION PROJECT
IMPACTS: Kindergarten Readiness; Third Grade Reading Proficiency
Too few children in Flagstaff have equitable access 
to high-quality preschool. This condition is unsatisfactory and is an obstacle for advancing world-class education for every child in Flagstaff. See the data here.
Expanding preschool opportunities will certainly produce benefits that exceed its costs. We estimate a local return of $16 for each $1 invested in the preschool expansion project. Read our report here.
LAUNCH Flagstaff has cultivated the initial community infrastructures and political will to pilot a collectively-funded project that provides high-quality, full-day, year-round preschool for children who are not otherwise being served in existing preschool sites. We are on track to seat the first class of students in fall 2020. See the roadmap outlining how we’ll get there.
GOALS AND KEY STRATEGIES
QUALITY
ACCESS
SUSTAINABILITY
WHAT HIGH-QUALITY PRESCHOOL LOOKS LIKE
PROGRESS TO DATE:
- Published the report: Expanding High Quality Preschool in Flagstaff: A Request to Support a Pilot Solution
- Initial investment from key community partners established:
- City of Flagstaff: $70,000 for FY20
- Coconino County: $70,000 for FY19-FY20
- Wharton Foundation: $150,000 for FY20-FY22
- Flagstaff Unified School District: $125,000 earmarked in FY20-21 budget for capital improvements
- Additional funding for the three-year pilot is being explored among additional community and statewide partners.
- August 30, 2019 planning retreat was conducted to produce an implementation road map. See the road map here.
- Rebecca Cirzan from the Association for Supportive Child Care begins serving as the coordinator of the implementation process with an independent focus on ensuring a high-quality product.
- Research has been conducted using a mapping process of existing high-quality preschool sites and overlaying that information with demographic data from the City of Flagstaff to identify potential locations for the first two classrooms.
- Focus groups have been conducted with families of preschool aged children to better understand their needs.
Participating organizations in this conversation include:
- Arizona Community Foundation of Flagstaff
- City of Flagstaff
- Coconino Community College
- Coconino County
- Coconino County Superintendent of Schools
- Expect More Arizona
- First Things First
- Flagstaff Unified School District
- Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce
- Lowell Observatory
- NACOG Head Start
- Northern Arizona University
- The NARBHA Institute
- The Wharton Foundation
- United Way of Northern Arizona