Public preschool receives grant to increase enrollment

• Flying Colors Public Preschool recently received a grant to expand its enrollment.
• The school serves a variety of 3- and 4-year-old students.

NEWARK —  When Davelyn Ross started a program in 1990 that would evolve into Flying Colors Public Preschool, she was teaching seven students.

Now, the program serves about 350 3- and 4-year-old students at its Newark and Etna locations. And last week, Ross found out the school received a grant to enroll 40 more.

Ross, who is director of evaluation and early education for the Licking County Educational Service Center, is hoping to use the grant to help children from low-income families in Newark start preschool.

"This is the perfect gift for our 25th anniversary," Ross said. "It's all coming full circle as we try to serve all the kids who need to be served."

Located at 119 Union St. in Newark and 927 B South St. in Etna, Flying Colors offers several different services, Ross said.

Staff members evaluate children to determine if they have special needs or require early intervention.

The school also offers preschool programs for children with disabilities as well as their typical peers. Children are placed in inclusive classrooms that include a mix of students from different backgrounds, Ross said.

School fees are determined on a sliding scale, depending on household income, and the school works to help connect parents in poverty with resources, she said.

"Our staff is crazy passionate," Ross said. "Each child is everybody's priority. We believe taking care of children and families is essential."

Flying Colors got its start 25 years ago when the Licking County ESC started a new program for young children with special needs. Ross, who was asked to run the program, wanted to also open it up to other students in Newark and the rest of Licking County.

She applied for a large grant, receiving it in 1991. Since then, Flying Colors has grown, moving from the E.S. Weiant Center to buildings in Heath, Granville and Pataskala as well as the YWCA in downtown Newark. The school moved into its current home on Union Street 17 years ago.

About two years ago, they celebrated earning five stars in the Step Up to Quality program, which is the highest ranking the state can give an early childhood facility, Ross said.

Although the school tries to help all 3- and 4 year-olds get ready for kindergarten, staff members are limited by funding and classroom space, Ross said.

Every year, parents start calling in February and March to make sure their children get enrolled, Ross said.

Complicating matters further, some of the grant money the school receives can only be used for children who live Newark, while other funding can only be used for families living in Licking County, but outside the city of Newark.

Ross was thrilled to find out the additional $152,000 they recently received from an ODE Early Childhood Expansion Grant can be used to educate any Licking County child.

"It's the perfect little gift," she said. "Now I can expand our services."

Ross said she's already enrolling students under the grant and is hoping to get even more signed up.

Because transportation is an issue for many local parents, she is working with her staff to come up with a schedule for the new classes that would make them more accessible.

Parents need to fill out registration packets and provide birth certificates and immunization records to reserve space for their kids.

Ross said she's hoping local families will spread the word and take advantage of the opportunity.

"Early education is so essential to me, because we are building the foundation on which everything else is built on," she said. "The research, and our personal experiences, proves it."

ajeffries@newarkadvocate.com

740-328-8544

Twitter: @amsjeffries

Learn more

To find out more about enrollment opportunities at Flying Colors Public Preschool, call 740-349-1629 or go to flyingcolorspreschool.weebly.com.