TUCSON, Ariz. — The cost for a preschool education in Tucson is around $800 a month. The Pima Early Education Program, also called peeps is dedicated to lowering that cost. The program launched last year with $13 million in funding and more than 150 participating schools.
“I know that kids who come to school to us as kindergarteners that have been in a pre-K setting are very prepared both academically and socially and I wanted to make sure that all our families had that opportunity,” said Chris Trimble, Principal, Lulu Walker Elementary. It’s goal is to create more high-quality preschools and to make them affordable for low-income families. The program helped open three preschools in the Amphitheater School District this year. As of December, PEEPs provided scholarships for 567 children. The county expects to help a total of 1,200.
“The brain is developing so much in the first five years of a child’s life," Trimble said."We can get them in here interacting with their peers, play-based learning, developing those creativity skills, critical thinking skills. We know it sets them up for long-term academic success.” The program also lowers the overall cost of enrollment at participating preschools. For kids without a scholarship, Imagine Preschool costs $460 a month.