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MIDDLETOWN — A new state-funded program set to kick off in area schools will benefit preschool students throughout Butler County.

Five new Early Learning Initiative classes scheduled to open in the Middletown and the Fairfield city school districts have made it possible for the Butler County Educational Service Center to expand Head Start classes in other county districts, said Head Start director Jon Graft.

Preschool programs are important to students and their families, said Carolyn Mack, curriculum coordinator for the Middletown City School District.

They are a "one-stop-shop," Mack said. "They provide a foundation for early learning, tools that our students need to be successful — exposure to literacy and interaction with other students and adults — and resource opportunities for parents and guardians."

Federally funded Head Start classes are for children 3-5 years of age whose families meet specific income guidelines.

The Early Learning Initiative is a collaborative program of the Ohio Department of Education and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services for families with incomes at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. Classes are designed to provide children with educational experiences so they will enter kindergarten ready for success and are designed to meet the child-care needs of working families.

"The ELI services have provided us with additional options that include a Head Start class in the Ross Local School District and a third Head Start classroom in the Lakota Local Schools," Graft said.

The three Middletown ELI classes will be housed at the former Central Academy along with six established Head Start classes and a medical and dental clinic that will be in operation two days a week.

The Middletown City School District has agreed to rent the facility to the BCESC for $1 a year.

"We pay the operating costs of the facility and the Middletown City School District saves money because they don't have to fund having the building demolished," Graft said. "It's a win/win for everybody."

For more information or to enroll a student in either program call 887-3716 or (513) 422-0713.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2158 or lebbing@coxohio.com.