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United Way of Northern Arizona — The Economic Case for High-Quality Preschool Programs

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The Economic Case for Elevate PreK and High-Quality Child Care in Our Region
United Way of Northern Arizona recently convened a meeting of more than 50 business and community leaders, elected officials, and early childhood education experts to discuss how strategic investment in early childhood programs can help support our local workforce and the economic health of our region.

Among the items discussed was the benefit of programs like Elevate PreK, the highly successful initiative that provides free, year-round, high-quality preschool education to 4-year-olds.

Arizona is in the midst of a child care crisis, said presenter Melinda Morrison Gulick, CEO of First Things First, the state’s early childhood agency. In Coconino County, she added, there’s a child care “gap” of about 41%, with 2.6 children for every existing preschool slot.

The lack of access to affordable child care and early childhood education programs costs Arizona about $4.7 billion each year, she said.
Elevate Pre-K, a pilot program that began as part of UWNA’s Launch Flagstaff early childhood initiative, seeks to fill the child care gap for working families. It is designed for 4-year-olds in households with incomes between 101% and 250% of the federal poverty level, meaning that they earn too much to be eligible for a child care subsidy from the state Department of Economic Security.
The availability has helped people like Kristine Pavlik, a City of Flagstaff employee and single mom raising three children, who shared the impact Elevate PreK had on her family in the video above.

Kristine said she was struggling to find child care for her two youngest children before discovering she was eligible for Elevate PreK.

“I was struggling to afford full-time care,” she said. “The cost of child care has gone up considerably in the last couple of years, and having two little ones in full-time daycare was next to impossible.”

Elevate PreK meant her daughter could attend a high-quality preschool program for free, which left her enough money to pay for full-time care for her then three-year-old son. Kristine credits Elevate PreK with allowing her to be more focused on her career while seeing her children thrive.

Kristine’s experience with Elevate PreK was not unique, according to Mary Strand Cary of the Institute for Child Success. She presented on views from other parents and caregivers on the need for programs like Elevate PreK.

About 84% of the parents said that having Elevate PreK affected their ability to stay in Flagstaff, with one respondent saying that the money saved from not having to pay for childcare allowed their family to continue to save money and put a down payment on a home.

Almost all the parents she surveyed said that Elevate PreK improved their ability to be good employees, while also reducing mental and financial stress for their families. About half of those surveyed said having full-time preschool also allowed them to pursue educational opportunities.

To see the full presentations or learn more about Elevate PreK, visit the program website at ElevatePreK.com.
UNITED WAY OF NORTHERN ARIZONA

1515 E. Cedar Ave. Suite D-1 Flagstaff, AZ 86004

928-773-9813 nazunitedway.org
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United Way of Northern Arizona | 1515 E. Cedar Ave. Ste. D-1 | Flagstaff, AZ 86004 US