INDIANAPOLIS – Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a bill Wednesday that will expand Indiana’s pre-K pilot program.
The state’s On My Way pre-K program will expand from five to 20 counties across the state. The new legislation will also increase funding for early education programs by $10 million per year.
The 15 additional counties offering the program have not been selected, but the state will give preference to primarily rural counties.
“My goal this session was to double the number of low-income students who have access to quality pre-kindergarten programs,” said Holcomb. “It’s a joy to sign this bill that gives more students a great start to their educational journeys.”
Government officials will also review the virtual pre-K programs already available in Indiana. Virtual programs allow parents to use in-home software to teach their children outside of the classroom.
The state may look into reimbursing parents for the software at a later date expanding the state’s pre-K program was one of the focuses of Holcomb’s legislative agenda.
The governor also signed bills Wednesday to allow counties to establish needle exchange programs and toughen penalties for pharmacy robberies.
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