Explanation
Mayor Ginther’s vision for Columbus, America’s Opportunity City, is to create access to a high-quality prekindergarten education for every 4-year-old. Addressing early childhood learning means bringing awareness and resources to a critical learning stage in childhood development. Children who come to school ready to learn are more likely to succeed academically and in life.
Children who participate in high-quality prekindergarten experiences significantly improve their early literacy, language, and math skills. Ample evidence shows that children who enter school unprepared fall farther and farther behind. Students who get a poor start in their earliest years are likely to struggle in high school and subsequently, fail to graduate.
Through Early Start Columbus, the Office of Education provides crucial prekindergarten programming to Columbus children, City-wide, during the school year. However, due to "summer slide", many children lose ground over the summer months. For the first time ever, the Office of Education is providing funding to Early Start providers so that they may continue to provide this important programming for their children throughout the summer, so that their children will be better prepared to transition to kindergarten.
FISCAL IMPACT: This ordinance authorizes an expenditure of $632,500.00 from the 2022 Office of Education’s General Fund operating budget.
EMERGENCY DESIGNATION: Emergency designation is requested so programming may continue uninterrupted during the summer.
Title
To authorize and direct the Director of the Office of Education to enter into contracts with Early Start Columbus providers so that they may provide summer programming for rising kindergarteners; to authorize the expenditure of $632,500.00 from the General Fund; and to declare an emergency. ($632,500.00)
Body
WHEREAS, through Early Start Columbus, Columbus children receive crucial prekindergarten programming during the school year; and
WHEREA...
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