Marisha Austin was nervous the first time she put her 4-year-old on the bus by himself. But she loves the independence he’s gained in his first few months at Wayne Township Preschool.
Her son spends his whole day at the school, participating in half-day preschool and day care. Austin, who lives nearby, said the school’s hours and the welcoming staff can’t be beat.
“There’s not a lot of preschools that promote independence — it’s that baby-fied stuff,” she said. “I really love this place. I’m so grateful that it’s here.”
Soon more parents like Austin could be offered seats at the preschool run by Wayne Township schools. The district is nearing completion of a $6 million expansion.
The preschool, which currently enrolls about 550 children, offers half-day classes in mornings and afternoons. It also offers child care to families, like Austin’s, who need full-day supervision for their children.
With expansion, the school could take on as many as 150 to 200 new students at a time when quality child care is greatly needed. An Early Learning Indiana report found only about half of Marion County’s child care seats are considered high quality. And, research shows preschool quality can be an important factor in predicting a child’s future success in school.
The Wayne Township expansion also comes just as state lawmakers have made it harder for low-income families to access care by placing new restrictions on Indiana’s preschool voucher program.
Though Wayne Township Preschool has had to raise rates this year, school officials say they’re dedicated to working with families who are facing financial hardship. And, their expansion could bring as many as eight new classrooms to the west side this fall, increasing access for dozens of westside families.
“It’s what we need because right now we’re very full,” Principal Nicole Caulfield said. “It’s really adding a lot of space for us to grow.”
How to enroll at Wayne Township Preschool
🗓️ Wayne Township Preschool enrolls on a rolling basis throughout the school year.
📚 Students must be at least 3 years old.
💵 Half-day preschool is $120 a week Monday through Friday.
💵 Full-day preschool and child care is $225 a week Monday through Friday.
🤝 Financial assistance is available.
✏️ Register in person at 1155 S. High School Road.
❓Questions? Call 317-988-7900.
Serving all students’ needs
The preschool is open to all families living within the Wayne Township district boundaries and serves as the lead preschool for special education services in the township.
That means the school provides evaluations for students’ educational needs and accepts students into its programs at an earlier age than a traditional preschool would, beginning at 3 years old.
The preschool space, which shares a building with the district’s Ben Davis University High School, is part of a former junior high school and was remodeled to fit young students’ needs.
Classrooms are large, and kids’ art hangs from the walls. The school’s most recent renovation brought a new playground with Americans with Disabilities Act-accessible equipment designed for students who have disabilities.
The teachers, meanwhile, are dual certified in early childhood education and special education, and the school has 10 therapists on staff. About 60% of the preschool’s students require services for special learning needs or disabilities.
“They can come in nonverbal and they’re talking when they leave,” Caulfield said. “Or, they’re not navigating the classroom physically really well and they’ve made huge gains and we’ve got a plan for kindergarten. Good things happen when they’re little.”
Setting the stage for elementary school
Wayne Township Preschool is nationally accredited and has received Indiana’s top quality rating, based on health, safety and academic standards.
Activities center around play-based learning, meaning students are taught social skills like cooperation and sharing through their play time.
It can be a challenge at times for kids to transition to the more structured requirements of an elementary school classroom, Caulfield said.
But, because most of the preschool’s kids stay with Wayne Township for elementary school, educators can work together to ensure a smooth transition.
Teachers across the district receive training on the same foundational skills — such as language development and vocabulary. Wayne preschool and elementary school teachers also have transition meetings where they talk about students’ needs.
In Indiana, parents aren’t required to enroll their kids in school until the year their child turns 7. State officials, however, have increasingly pushed for greater gains in reading and vocabulary skills by the time students reach third grade.
Educators say time spent learning during those early, pre-elementary school years matters. And, Caulfield said, the difference among students who attend Wayne Township Preschool shows.
“We’ve tracked our data and our kids do really well,” Caulfield said. “They’re outperforming kids who didn’t come to the preschool.”
Keeping preschool accessible
Preschool, however, can be expensive for both families and school districts.
Unlike K-12 education, there’s no universal funding for preschool students at a state level, meaning most providers have to charge for their services regardless of whether they’re part of a public school system.
Wayne Township Preschool officials say they work hard to keep costs down. Though prices are increasing this year, Wayne Township charges $120 a week for half-day preschool or $225 a week for half-day preschool plus child care — available from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Some comparable private programs can cost as much as $300 or $400 a week for a full day of care.
Wayne Township Preschool accepts families who cover their payments through programs such as the federal Child Care and Development Fund and the state’s On My Way Pre-K. But, amid a dire budget forecast this year, lawmakers decided to restrict income limits for the state program, meaning fewer low-income families will be eligible in the coming school year.
For some of its families, Wayne Township Preschool offers a peer friends program at a discounted rate. The program places 4-year-olds who are identified as language role models in classrooms with other students who may be nonverbal or have speech delays.
The peer relationships are encouraged to help build social and language skills between both sets of students. And, peer friends are charged only $40 a week for their enrollment in the classes.
Transportation to Wayne Township Preschool is free — a rarity in preschool programs.
“Most of our kids who are on scholarship can only come here if they have the bus available to them,” Caulfield said.
New classrooms to open soon
Families can enroll their children any time during the school year after their student turns 3. That means the preschool’s enrollment can grow by more than 200 students over the course of a year.
The school currently has 24 preschool classrooms and five child care rooms. And, the district has made accommodations to keep up with demand.
By the end of this most recent school year, four preschool teachers were working from a satellite location in a nearby elementary school. And, the district transports preschool students to nearby home ministry or child care centers if on-site child care rooms are full.
Construction will add eight new classrooms, which are much needed, Caulfield said, considering that the area is seeing more families with small children and more children with special needs.
School leadership will watch enrollment numbers, but Caulfield suspects the preschool will fill its new rooms over the next couple of years if allowed to bring on more teachers.
But, before that can happen, the school will need to pass a licensing inspection. Officials who visit the classrooms will want to see them furnished and ready, just as they would be arranged with students present, Caulfield said. So, preparation will be a big focus this summer.
If successful, the additional classrooms could open as early as the fall semester.
That’s welcome news to parents like Austin, who says she spreads the word about Wayne Township Preschool every chance she gets.
“This place puts a lot of education in the kids,” Austin said, sharing how her son has grown in just the few months he’s attended Wayne Township Preschool. “I can see the difference in him.”
About our reporting
This article was published as part of a partnership between Chalkbeat Indiana, WFYI, and Mirror Indy to increase coverage of township school districts in Marion County.
Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations.
Mirror Indy reporter Carley Lanich covers early childhood and K-12 education. Contact her at carley.lanich@mirrorindy.org or follow her on X @carleylanich.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
