An estimated 150 Greenwich children and their families will benefit, easing the increasing challenges of rising preschool tuitions, a limited public preschool lottery and delayed kindergarten start.

GREENWICH, Conn., MARCH 7, 2024 – The Greenwich United Way announced the organization’s commitment to raising $250,000 annually to fund early education scholarships for Greenwich preschoolers. While the Greenwich United Way has awarded preschool scholarships for many years, the organization’s increased commitment was deemed critical considering rising preschool tuitions, a very limited Greenwich Public Schools preschool lottery, and the delayed kindergarten start whereby Connecticut students now need to be 5 years old by September 1 to enroll (the previous age cutoff date was January 1), adding an additional year of preschool tuition to family budgets.

According to the most recent Greenwich United Way Needs Assessment, in 2020, the average full-time preschool tuition per month in Greenwich was $1900; in 2024, that number is $2500 per month. The Connecticut Office of Early Childhood Education assists low to moderate income families through CT Care 4 Kids, however, the maximum provided is $1300 per month in Greenwich, an amount that has not changed even as inflation has significantly increased costs; additionally, many families in need simply do not qualify.

“The gap between what CT Care 4 Kids provides and the actual costs of preschool has gone from $600 to $1200 per month in just four years here in Greenwich,” said David Rabin, CEO of Greenwich United Way. “This is where the Greenwich United Way steps in. From our analysis of the human services needs of Greenwich, we know that more than 20 percent of town residents earn less than $50,000 per year, making preschool tuition completely out of reach. Our early education scholarships are vital for ensuring every Greenwich child is adequately prepared for kindergarten, positively impacting lifelong academic success.”

Greenwich United Way is working to raise $250,000 every year to help those in need access early childhood education programming. The organization anticipates benefiting 125 to 150 students annually.

“We knew there would be increased demand for scholarships following the state’s kindergarten age cutoff change, but nothing could have prepared us for the influx of applications that we have already received, which is compounded due to the increasing costs of preschool even within Greenwich Public Schools,” said Rabin. “The elementary school preparation provided by preschool is invaluable for closing the achievement gap among students in our town. We will work tirelessly to deliver for these hard-working, deserving families striving to provide their children with firm academic foundations.”

GUW provides preschool scholarships for Grace Daycare & Learning Center, Family Centers Early Care & Education program, and Greenwich Public Schools preschool programs at New Lebanon School, Hamilton Avenue School, North Street School, Old Greenwich School and Julian Curtiss School. If you or someone you know is in need of a preschool scholarship, contact administrators at participating programs or GUW’s Robert Moore, Vice President of Community Impact, at rmoore@greenwichunitedway.org.

For those interested in supporting GUW’s early childhood education scholarship program, please contact Jeremy Nappi at jnappi@greenwichunitedway.org.

About Greenwich United Way

The Greenwich United Way (GUW) shares a name with approximately 1,200 other similar organizations across the nation, although the Greenwich, Connecticut division is a privately incorporated, locally governed, nonprofit agency. As a volunteer-driven organization, the Greenwich United Way exists to help identify and address the health, educational and self-sufficiency needs specific to its local community and to create and affect meaningful, lasting solutions. Through various fundraising efforts and on-going research, the organization is able to directly grant the funds necessary to accomplish this goal. The Greenwich United Way also invests in and conducts collaborative efforts to address broad-based community needs with partnering nonprofit agencies. For more information, visit https://greenwichunitedway.org, or follow us on Instagram and Facebook.