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Report Highlights Disparities, Challenges In Forsyth County Pre-K Programs

Local leaders say equity in education in Forsyth County means investing in pre-K. A new report outlines the stark challenges facing preschool-age children and their families. KERI BROWN/WFDD

A new report is outlining equity issues and achievement gaps for some of the community's youngest learners. This comes as local groups are pushing for universal pre-K in Forsyth County. 

The report found several factors that limit the availability of high-quality, affordable preschool in the county. Those include a decline in the number of licensed childcare facilities in the past ten years, a lower market rate for childcare providers compared to other urban counties, and economic challenges for families.

According to the study released by Pre-K Priority, Forsyth's population of four-year-olds is rising and becoming more diverse, and educational outcomes are vastly different. 61% of white children entering kindergarten are likely to do well in reading in later grades, compared to 47% of African-American children and 28% of Hispanic children.

Bob Feikema is president of Family Services Forsyth County and on the Pre-K Priority steering committee. He says preschool gives kids the building blocks for success.

"It's not a silver bullet. There are other things that need to be done as well, but the results are in and high quality pre-K can make a difference and make our educational system much more equitable," says Feikema.

The report calls for a local task force and more funding from state and local lawmakers to expand access.

About a third of eligible four-year-olds in Forsyth County are not currently enrolled in a publicly funded pre-K program.   

Follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

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