PRESCHOOL SCHOLARSHIPS???

Question

I am getting ready to send my gifted 4 year old to an Academy Preschool in Virginia and I was interested in knowing if there were any scholarships available to help with the high tution costs...thanks for all the help, but please leave smart remarks and nasty comments out!

Answer 1

Shemira, i sorry to give you an incomplete answer but i am not certain however i would suggest checking the website of the school and asking them if there are any funding opportunities available to you, best of luck

Answer 2

I was on a Preschool Advisory Board for 6 years.  Yes, there are such things as Preschool scholarships.  Ask the director of the Preschool.

The school I was with was in a church.  We had 2 or 3 scholarships to give out per year, and we had 135 kids.  It was strictly need based, and had to be checked and approved by the school director and the Pastor of the church.  Both interviewed the perspective recipient, and then made a decision.  Sometimes, depending on the family circumstances, a half year scholarship would be issued, or they would "forgive" 1 or 2 months tuition.  The people who got the scholarships were in very difficult circumstances, and would have had to leave the school if not for the help they got.  I hope this info is helpful.  

Answer 3

Our center offers scholarships to children of low income families through a state funded program, First 5.  I'm not sure if you have anything like that in Virginia, but in CA we use these funds to provide up to 17 full-time scholarships at our center, based on income needs.  You should talk directly to the director of the preschool, and see if they offer such a service, as not every school does.

    However, if your child has been tested to be in the gifted range through your school district, services may be provided at no cost...  Children who qualify as "gifted" by their school district are also eligible to receive special educational services- meaning that they are entitled to receive an education that is free and appropriate, according to IDEA- the law that governs special education.  You have to do more research on this, as well as get your child tested by the school district.   You will have to prove that the school district does not have the appropriate services for your child in one of their state preschools, but even if your child tests as "gifted" you probably won't be able to get them into a preschool setting under special ed laws.  These laws mainly apply to school-age children.  Here is an exerpt from one of the Gifted and Talented Education laws in Connecticut (for example):

(5) "Children requiring special education" includes any exceptional child who...(B)has extraordinary learning ability or outstanding talent in the creative arts, the development of which requires programs or services beyond those ordinarily provided in the regular school programs but which may be provided through special education as part of the public school program.

Laws governing children with gifted exceptionalities are not the same as those for children with identified disabilities.  However, if you are up on your laws, you can try to apply the laws as they exist for children with disabilities to the similar needs of a child who is gifted.  It will take more work... the laws in each state are different in how they deal with children with gifted abilities, and many do not even have any laws that deal specifically with how to handle gifted children.  In most districts, you must ask to have your child tested, and then challenge the school district to provide classes or materials to meet your child's needs.  A gifted child can demand just as many "special education" services as a child with a disability, and as their parent, you need to see to it that they receive services/education that is relavent to them.