We are recipients of the Ohio Department of Education, Early Childhood Expansion Grant (ECE), which is awarded to highly-qualified Preschools to help prepare three and four year old children for kindergarten. 

In order for your child to qualify for the grant:

  • Must be three or four years old at the beginning of the school year
  • NOT eligible for kindergarten in their home school district
  • Family income at or below two hundred percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL)
  • Fully potty trained

Locations where ECE is available

  • Hilliard YMCA 
  • Hilltop YMCA
  • Jerry L. Garver YMCA
  • Logan Co ELC
  • North YMCA
  • Whitehall Community Park YMCA
  • YMCA Early Learning Center West
  • YMCA Early Learning Center (Johnstown Road)

If your child is three or four and on an Individualized Education Plan, in Foster or Kinship care or experiencing homelessness (as defined by the McKinney-Vento Statement), your child can attend without your family meeting income requirements, but still must meet the age requirement.

We may have spots available for children who turn three after the start of the school year as well. Please contact us for more information.

 

For families residing within the Columbus City School District, we proudly offer the City of Columbus Early Start Columbus (ESC) Grant. Children served must be four years old in current school year and the families income must be no more than three hundred percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). Families can qualify for full day preschool by qualifying for both the Early Childhood Education grant (ECE) and the Early Start Columbus grant (ESC).

Locations where ESC is available

  • Hilltop YMCA
  • North YMCA
  • Early Learning Center West
  • Early Learning Center (Johnstown Rd)

 

Through generous support from United Way of Central Ohio, we are able to provide some of the very best early learning educational opportunities to families with children in preschool. Please inquire about available scholarships at our early learning locations.
 

 

We are proud to partner with PNC’s Grow Up Great Program. 
The PNC Foundation supports a variety of nonprofit organizations with a special emphasis on those that work to achieve sustainability and touch a diverse population, in particular, those that support early childhood education and/or economic development.