United Way of Northern Arizona — ‘Elevate PreK’ Begins, Expanding Preschool Options

We are so excited to announce that a major initiative from LAUNCH Flagstaff and its partners will begin in a few weeks, and we believe it will be a game changer in filling the gaps that currently exist in high-quality early childhood education.

The program, Elevate PreK, will offer full-day, year-round classes at Kinsey Elementary School, primarily for four-year-olds in lower- and middle-income families currently not accessing preschool services. The classes will be provided at no charge to families under the program.

LAUNCH Flagstaff is partnering with the Association of Supportive Childcare for this effort with support from a wide array of organizations, including the City of Flagstaff, Coconino County, the Wharton Foundation, Flagstaff Unified School District and Northern Arizona University.

Why is this important? Study after study reinforces the life-changing importance of high-quality preschool for our youth. School readiness, future earning potential, even a child’s health can be impacted.

More than half of our three- and four-year-olds don’t have access to high-quality preschools. This pilot program, which plans on opening more classrooms over the next three years, are a major step in addressing that issue.

It’s hoped the impact of this program will go far beyond the individual Elevate PreK classrooms. This initiative is designed to serve as a community catalyst, a way for preschool professionals throughout Flagstaff to share successful curricula and best practices. We want to enhance professional development for all early childhood providers and thereby ensure that children in Flagstaff have access to high-quality early learning experiences no matter where they attend preschool.

You can learn more about the overall initiative at elevateprek.com.

Elevate PreK is starting at a time of transition for LAUNCH Flagstaff, which was created in 2014 to foster a culture of world-class education from cradle through career for every local child.

For the past five years, Paul Kulpinski has led the effort as Partnership Director. He recently announced his decision to pursue new opportunities out of state and will be leaving the post at the end of the month.

Through Paul’s leadership over the last 5 years, LAUNCH Flagstaff and our community stakeholders have successfully built and grown a foundation from which we can engage, discuss, and support high-quality education in Flagstaff in a truly collaborative manner. We thank him for his service and wish him well in all his future endeavors.

Our partners are committed to continuing the work of LAUNCH Flagstaff to keep this momentum going and improve education outcomes for all of our children.