By Sarah Campbell
scampbell@salisburypost.com
SALISBURY ó Robin Kluttz-Ellison said her child care center is in limbo while it waits to see whether an order to provide pre-kindergarten to all eligible 4-year-olds is upheld.
The owner of Noahís Playloft Preschool isnít sure when her N.C. Pre-Kindergarten classes, formerly known as More at Four, will get under way.
ěWe canít even start preparing the classroom because we donít have a final list of students,î Kluttz-Ellison said.
Last month, Wake County Superior Court Judge Howard Manning Jr. ruled that the stateís established responsibility to prepare 4-year-olds for kindergarten meant the budget couldnít limit the number of spots for at-risk children or require a co-payment from parents of up to 10 percent of their income.
Gov. Bev Perdue issued an executive order last week for the Department of Health and Human Services to maintain the programís academic standards and eliminate all admission barriers to at-risk preschool children.
But neither party explained how the state would pay to expand services to an estimated 67,000 children statewide at a n additional cost of $145 million to $360 million.
The state Attorney Generalís Office filed an appeal of the court ruling Wednesday. And Republican legislators say the order could bust the budget.
John Gerstenmier, executive director of Smart Start Rowan, which administers N.C. Pre-Kindergarten, said as the waiting game continues it puts county directors between the proverbial rock and hard place.
ěItís very difficult for everybody,î he said. ěI want to provide for every child, but at the same time I donít take it casually to sign an agreement with a provider to commit to an N.C. Pre-K classroom and not be able to follow through with compensation.î
There are currently 267 Pre-Kindergarten slots available in Rowan County and at least 334 children pre-qualified.
ěThe problem is I may not have enough classrooms with qualified teachers,î Gerstenmier said. ěWe will maintain them on a waiting list as we aggressively try to bring additional spaces and centers on board.î
Chris Mackey, the governorís press secretary, said Wednesday that Perdue understands the limitations of immediately serving every at-risk child that applies.
Neither the governor nor the Department of Health and Human Services can flip a switch to ramp the program up overnight,î he said in a prepared statement. ěNevertheless, DHHS is developing a plan that will help identify and quantify the practical limitations so that they can be addressed in a reasonable and timely fashion.î
Kluttz-Ellison said she is growing more frustrated with the uncertainty.
She didnít receive notification until Aug. 5 that Noahís Playloft would be a provider, which meant she had little time to hire a teacher with only a few weeks until school starts.
Kluttz-Ellison said the stricter hiring standards that require a bachelorís degree made it difficult to find a teacher in such a short time period.
And itís also hurting her bank account.
She said sheís required to pay the teacher based on the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction teacher pay scale. Typically a teacher with an associateís degree costs about $25,000 a year, but the new N.C. Pre-Kindergarten teacher will make $37,500.
ěThey have the same amount of children and they are doing the same program with the same curriculum,î Kluttz-Ellison said.
Kluttz-Ellison said her center will end up losing money this year because of the program, but she wants to stay the course to reach at-risk children.
Norma Honeycutt, executive director of Partners in Learning, said sheís worried about losing money as families who receive subsidies through the Department of Social Services become eligible for N.C. Pre-Kindergarten.
ěWhen parents have a choice whether to go free or pay a parent fee thatís sort of a no-brainer,î she said.
Honeycutt said if families continue to switch, her facility will end up losing money and could have to increase prices for birth to 3-year-old care because the standard 4-year-old classes help subsidize those classrooms.
She said if enough 4-year-olds leave, she may have to lay off qualified teacher who has plenty of experience. ěThere is alway a trickle down effect,î she said.
Gerstenmier said families can continue applying for N.C. Pre-Kindergarten by contacting Millie Nelson at 704-603-3369.
He said his agency will contact parents with information about available slots as soon as it become available, but they can get updates from the website www.rowan-smartstart.org.
For now, Honeycutt said sheís ready to start classes next week when public school begins.
ěWe will just take it as weíre on the roller coaster,î she said. ěWeíre waiting to see whatís next right now, but weíre on the roller coaster and weíre not getting off.
ěHopefully we wonít be knocked off.î
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Contact reporter Sarah Campbell at 704-797-7683.
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