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Bolivar R‑I says state preschool grant let current ECLC students attend at no cost this year
Summary
District officials said a Missouri high‑quality preschool grant allowed the Early Childhood Learning Center to refund previously paid tuition and provide prekindergarten at no cost this school year; officials cautioned the funding is not guaranteed for future years.
Bolivar R‑I school officials told the board in January that a state preschool grant allowed the district to refund tuition and offer this year’s prekindergarten at no cost.
At the board’s meeting, Sarah Cooper, ECLC director, said staff and district colleagues worked together to obtain a Missouri high‑quality preschool grant and that “every student this year gets to attend ECLC at 0 cost.” She said the change meant families who had already paid tuition were refunded.
The grant was described at the meeting as a Missouri high‑quality preschool grant. Board members and staff said the award was a significant benefit to families but emphasized that ongoing free tuition depends on continued state funding. Cooper said the district hopes to secure the grant again but that state funding is not guaranteed.
Cooper also presented ECLC program data for the first semester of the 2024–25 school year. She reported a daily average attendance rate of 92.74 percent at the ECLC, up slightly from the previous year, and noted program‑level assessment gains: out of 65 students currently enrolled at the ECLC, 97 percent had met the center’s shape recognition benchmark, 89 percent had mastered following two‑step directions, and 87 percent had mastered responding to questions.
Cooper described instructional materials now in use at ECLC as Ready to Advance benchmarks for prekindergarten, said the materials are DESE‑approved and aligned with district training, and noted use of Eureka Math and the Second Step social‑emotional curriculum in early grades.
Board members asked for additional scheduling details for upcoming family events tied to ECLC and for clarification about the grant amount; the amount stated during the meeting was not presented in a clear, verifiable figure and was not specified in the board packet. The district said it will provide dates for events and will continue to seek state funding but cannot promise future grants will be awarded.
