Cincinnati Preschool Promise leaders and CPS staff outline expansion, attendance and workforce gains

Shar Fisher Jackson of Cincinnati Preschool Promise and Vera Brooks of Cincinnati Public Schools presented a year-to-date snapshot of the Preschool Promise partnership and CPS-run preschool classrooms at the Sept. 22 Cincinnati Public Schools board meeting.

Fisher Jackson said the Preschool Promise focuses on four areas: tuition assistance for families in need, expanding high-quality preschool seats, aligning quality with Ohio’s Step Up to Quality ratings and supporting early-childhood workforce recruitment, retention and wage parity. She said the program has helped more than 12,000 preschoolers receive tuition assistance at high-quality preschools and that Preschool Promise and partner funding have directly spent “almost $57,000,000” to support access and quality. Fisher Jackson also said participation increased from about 19% of eligible children in the program’s early years to roughly 40% at the time of the presentation.

Brooks, who spoke for Cincinnati Public Schools’ early childhood team, said CPS preschool classrooms…