$47,600 grant boosts Peabody preschool
The Salem News, by Stacie N. Galang, December 18, 2008

A $47,600 state grant will infuse the Passos Avante Preschool with money to add a teacher, purchase equipment and offer teachers more training.

Director Joanne Pantapas said she and Deb Murphy, Peabody schools kindergarten coordinator, applied for the competitive grant this summer. The program received its first installment in recent weeks, Pantapas said.

It's the second time Passos Avante, housed at South School, has qualified for the state grant, but this round of funding is nearly double the last, the director said.

"I was excited to get that," Pantapas said.

The grant helped add the preschool's seventh teacher for the 60 students enrolled, Pantapas said. The funds are also being used to buy computer software and hardware, as well as school materials and supplies.

Teachers will see benefits, too, in the form of training, incentives and bonuses.

"It helps me really retain quality and highly educated teachers," Pantapas said.

The director said she is working with Murphy to develop a kindergarten transition program, which is also being offset with grant funds.

Pantapas estimated that 50 percent of the preschoolers come from homes in which English is not the first language. The remaining students are from a cross section of Peabody, including children of teachers.

The director said tuition is based on a sliding scale. The grant helps keep the cost affordable.

Matt Veno, a spokesman for the state's Department of Early Education and Care, said the grant is a "real significant initiative of the agency and a high priority for the governor."

The department is moving forward with the grants despite the difficult times and budget challenges, he said.

Passos Avante, Portuguese for "time goes on," is a self-supporting preschool program that started about 20 years ago as a day care center for Portuguese families.