Frequently Asked Questions

1. How does Preschool Advantage select the children who are funded for preschool?

Families of children who will be 3 or 4 years old on October 1, 2013 may apply for a preschool seat beginning in September 2013. Applications will be available in December 2012 online or by calling the office at 973-532-2501. The application deadline is February 28, 2013.

Children have already been placed for September 2012; however Preschool Advantage will consider applications for its waiting list.

Preschool Advantage seeks to place children who have no other means for attending preschool, that is children who do not qualify for a public program and whose families cannot afford the cost of tuition. The average family income for accepted applicants last year was $29,000. Preschool Advantage looks at each family’s unique circumstances however.

2. How many children are selected?

The number of children placed depends on the level of funds raised in the previous year. In 2012, the organization authorized placement of 63 children of whom 28 were four year olds returning for a second year of school. Since inception, the organization has funded preschool for 600 children, many of them for two years.

3. Do parents select which school their child attends?

The list of preschools with which Preschool Advantage partners is available online. Parents list their preferred schools on the application. Preschool Advantage is almost always able to honor parents’ first or second choice of schools. Final placements are subject to space availability in each school.

4. How does Preschool Advantage select new partner preschools?

Preschool Advantage plans growth based upon having additional funds for tuitions and seeks areas of Morris County and surrounding communities that have a significant proportion of families in need and also have quality preschool programs willing to work within Preschool Advantage’s guidelines.

5. How long a program will Preschool Advantage fund?

Preschool Advantage funds 3 and 4 year-olds. If children begin the program at 3, they are eligible for 2 years of preschool. Children may also begin the program at 4. Preschool Advantage funds HALF DAY programs, for example 9-12 each school day.

6. How do children qualify for a second year of preschool?

Families are required to file an abbreviated application focused on financial information. Preschool Advantage informs the families of 3 year-olds completing the program of the application requirements for the second year.

7. Can children apply for Preschool Advantage funding as 4 year olds? 5 year olds?

Families of children who turn 4 by October 1 of the school year may apply to Preschool Advantage. 5 year olds are not eligible for Preschool Advantage’s assistance.

8. Where do I have to live to qualify for Preschool Advantage assistance?

There are no residential qualifications for families applying to Preschool Advantage.
Families simply must be able to reliably transport their child to one of the Partner Preschools in Morris and Somerset Counties.

9. Can I apply for Preschool Advantage assistance if I have also applied for other programs such as Head Start?

Preschool Advantage recognizes that many programs such as Head Start have waiting lists. Families may apply to Preschool Advantage as well as to other programs. If another program becomes available for the child, the family is simply asked to notify Preschool Advantage as soon as possible so that the seat may be made available to another child.

10. How can I apply for Preschool Advantage assistance after the school year has begun?

The application deadline is the end of February prior to the September start date of school. Applications submitted after the end of February will be held on the waiting list for consideration if committed seats become available.

11. If my older children attended preschool through Preschool Advantage do my younger children automatically qualify?

Families whose older children have attended preschool through Preschool Advantage must still submit the standard application package since the family’s financial circumstances may have changed.

12. What fees does Preschool Advantage charge families?

Preschool Advantage charges families whose child has been accepted into the program a $50 registration fee. The cumulative fee paid by Preschool Advantage families allows funding of another child.

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