What/Who is HOPE Toledo Pre-K?

HOPE Toledo Pre-K represents a large coalition of local citizens — including parents, teachers, pediatricians, nurses, preschool providers, major employers, faith organizations, nonprofits, elected officials, and other community leaders — that have joined together to make funding and implementing high-quality preschool in Toledo a priority.

What is the Mission and Vision of HOPE Toledo Pre-K?

Our mission is to provide every Toledo child with the opportunity to attend a high-quality early childhood educational program that prepares them to succeed in kindergarten and beyond. To meet the needs of Toledo’s families, these programs support and ensure culturally relevant experiences, grounded in evidence-based research, while supporting and valuing the roles of parents, educators, providers, and community partners.  

Our vision is for every Toledo child to enter kindergarten exhibiting the skills, behaviors and knowledge necessary for their academic success, laying the foundation for their continued personal achievement and contribution to our community.

What does high-quality preschool mean?

HOPE Toledo Pre-K supports high-quality, evidence-based preschool that includes:

• Comprehensive curriculum-led learning with the foundations of basic education, how to work in groups, and other social and behavioral skills young students need

• Smaller classrooms, low teacher-child ratios, and full-day programs

• Active parent engagement with families paying income-based, sliding-scale tuition, so everyone pays a fair share

• Routine developmental assessments and preschool-to-kindergarten transition planning

• Well-compensated, professionally trained, and supported educators

• Support, coaching, and funding for providers to help them achieve and maintain high-quality programs

• High standards, regular evaluations and oversight with accountability in order for programs to receive funding

Why is high-quality preschool so important for Toledo’s children?

Research proves that birth to age five is the most important and significant period for a child’s emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and social development. Currently, more than 80% of Toledo students enter kindergarten without the skills needed to begin learning – and they continue to lag behind. High-quality preschool improves outcomes for children throughout their lives. Children who start kindergarten ready to learn are more likely to pass 3rd-grade reading tests, 8th-grade math tests, graduate from high school, go on to college, and earn more income over their lifetimes. To compete in this world, where more education than ever is required for success, Toledo must give its children a strong start.

Why is high-quality preschool important for our Toledo community?

Investing in high-quality preschool is part of a broader strategy to improve our community’s workforce, reduce poverty, and increase opportunity for all. Expanding affordable access to high-quality preschool will:

• Level the playing field, giving all of Toledo’s children a chance to succeed.

• Help local parents return to work and restart our economy.

• Improve access to needed health, nutrition, and mental health services.

• Position Toledo to compete with other major Ohio cities.

Why is this important for Toledo now?

Generational poverty has impacted Toledo for decades, and it’s only getting worse as a result of the pandemic – without community commitment to change. There is a significant gap in school readiness between poor children and those from moderate or higher income families. More than half of Washington Local School students qualify for free or reduced lunch – and nearly 90% of Toledo Public School students do.

The time for action is now, before we lose another generation of children and fall farther behind as a community.