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There’s a new state-funded, affordable preschool program for families in San Mateo County, and program directors want the community to know that it’s not as hard for children to qualify as it once was.
The new program is run by the San Mateo County Office of Education out of the Anne Campbell Center for Children and Families, and is part of the state initiative to fund affordable preschool for children ages 3 to 5.
“We know how expensive it is to live in San Mateo County,” said Sheryl Chan, manager of state preschool programs with the county. “The state has really increased the income qualification. So for this year, a family of four that makes less than $9,441 per month is going to qualify.”
That means that families of four earning about $113,000 or less a year can qualify for the full-day program, which costs a maximum of $700 a month. The fee is determined based on income, Chan said, so some very-low-income families may not have to pay anything to enroll their children. With the average monthly cost of child care in San Mateo County being in the ballpark of $1,700, according to Chan, even the maximum fee is less than half what most are paying.
“This state-funded program is really offering parents a decreased burden to pay for child care, on top of all the high costs that they have,” Chan said.
The program is designed for working families, Chan said, and will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. The official first day was Aug. 14, but the program is still accepting eligible enrollees.
Chan encourages families to reach out to the county Office of Education to find out if they’re eligible. More information about eligibility and how to apply for the program can be found on the Anne Campbell Center’s webpage at smcoe.org.
In the classroom, teachers will focus on supporting the developmental learning of students enrolled, Chan said.
“We’re going to do a lot of social-emotional support and a lot of exploratory, discovery kind of learning for children, and really encourage them to learn about the world,” she said.
Chan expects about 20 children in the first class of students, but said the Anne Campbell Center is equipped to expand as more families become enrolled and additional teaching staff are hired. Eventually, the program will span three classrooms at the center, located at 65 Tower Road in San Mateo.
Chan added that the program aims to be inclusive for children of all ability levels. Staff will work with families of children with IEPs, or individualized education programs, to make sure they have the resources to support them. Those with IEPs are kids who need some form of special education.
“We want to make sure that our environment is supportive and that the child will thrive with us,” Chan said.
Nancy Magee, superintendent of the San Mateo County Office of Education, said it’s fitting that the new program is based at the Anne Campbell Center, a space that has long supported the development and education of young children.
“When former county Superintendent Anne Campbell retired in 2018, we renamed the building in her honor,” said Magee. “She was a lifelong educator, and in her eight years as the county superintendent was one of the key visionaries behind the county’s Big Lift program.
The Big Lift aims to have all children reading with mastery by the end of third grade, Magee said.
“It really focuses on high-quality preschool,” she said. “Anne was instrumental in developing this really innovative program which still is going strong to this day. Her contributions to early childhood and early literacy in the county have been highly commendable.”
