May 6, 2019 - Governor Holcomb signed House Bill 1628 that now expands eligibility to all counties in Indiana for On My Way Pre-K to participate in effective upon his signature.
The legislation also includes other requirements for the On My Way Pre-K:
Providers:
- Providers may now be located in any county in Indiana and must meet all previous eligibility requirements
- Providers must meet the same eligibility standards as any program that accepts federal Child Care and Development Fund vouchers. Providers do not need to accept the CCDF vouchers, but they must meet the requirements. More information on the CCDF standards is located on the Eligibility Requirements page.
Children and Families:
- Children must live in Indiana and must be 4 years of age as of August 1 of the school year that the program is offered.
- An eligible child must live in a household with an income below 127% of the federal poverty level. Parents or guardians living in the household must be working, going to school or attending job training.
- If funding remains, there may be a limited number of vouchers available for children who live in households with incomes up to 185% of the federal poverty level. These children must also have:
- A parent or guardian living in the household who is working, going to school, job searching or attending job training, OR
- A parent/guardian who receives Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income benefits.
- Parents or guardians living with an eligible child must meet the income eligibility requirements and must be working and/or attending an accredited or certified education or training program.
- Eligible children who attend a pre-k program at an eligible Choice Scholarship school can receive a Choice Scholarship to attend the same eligible Choice Scholarship school for kindergarten without having to re-apply, if certain conditions are met.
Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning:
- The state must complete monitoring visits for all On My Way Pre-K programs and grant recipients.
- The state must perform a longitudinal study of children attending On My Way Pre-K programs, as compared with a control group not receiving services.
- The state will create statewide capacity-building grants to increase the number of qualified early learning providers and/or expand the capacity of existing early learning providers.