Applications being accepted for preschool scholarships

By Brian Nordli

Monday, Sept. 15, 2014 | 2:53 p.m.

The application process is underway for parents to receive part of a $1 million grant to send their children to preschool programs in Las Vegas.

For the fourth consecutive year, Windsong Trust, a private foundation for children’s education, awarded the grant to United Way of Southern Nevada. It will provide 250 scholarships for preschoolers and cover training and professional development fees for 135 teachers.

The purpose of the grant is to expand access to preschools, which help children develop the foundation to succeed in school.

Selected children will attend school readiness programs to learn social skills, self-confidence and knowledge they can build on in kindergarten, United Way spokeswoman Vanessa Maniago said.

“We know quality early childhood education and family engagement are the keys to a successful academic future, and we believe every child deserves a solid start. This grant builds on our work in early childhood education and expands the scope to include more families and to change more children’s lives,” Cass Palmer, president and CEO of United Way of Southern Nevada, said in a news release.

“With roughly 70 percent of our children not in a preschool program, we know the need is great,” Palmer said. “With a solid preschool experience, children will enter Kindergarten ready to learn.”

Parents can apply for the scholarship at unwsn.org/taps.