Tuition-Based Program

In response to a federal mandate, the Lakota Local School District, in 1990, developed a preschool program to serve children 3 – 5 years of age with a wide range of disabilities qualifying for special education services. A program model was then adopted to also include a tuition-based option for children with typical development in order to provide for a more appropriate and enriching learning experience.

Tuition-based students applying to Lakota's preschool program must meet the following criteria:

• Children ages three and four are eligible to enroll. Children that are three years old must be three on or before August 1 during the enrollment year. 
• If your child is eligible for kindergarten, he/she is not eligible for this program. Children who are 5 before August 1 of the enrollment year are not eligible for enrollment in the program.
• Children must be fully toilet-trained to attend.
• Families must reside within the Lakota School District by the end of the application deadline.

The number of available tuition-based seats is dictated each year by Lakota’s roster of special education students requiring preschool services, including the staffing, type of classroom space and other resources required by their Individualized Education Plans as well as the number of students transitioning to kindergarten each year. Therefore, the number of tuition-based preschool seats can vary from one year to the next. 

Lakota's preschool program is funded by a combination of state and local funding. This funding does not cover all expenses. Tuition payments from non-special education students help defray the excess costs. 

The annual tuition rate may fluctuate from year to year, but is approximately $2,000 per student. Students qualifying for special education services do not pay a tuition.

As a convenience to our families and in an effort to expedite processing times, Lakota Preschool utilizes an online portal called EZ Pay to accept tuitions. We cannot accept cash or check payments.

No. Students enrolled in Lakota preschool via the tuition-based option do not receive transportation to and from school. Transportation is the responsibility of the parent, guardian or caregiver.

Due to the limited number of tuition-based seats, each spring, Lakota preschool holds a lottery process to fill available tuition-based seats for the next school year. Once the lottery is announced, prospective families fill out an application, and when closed, a random generator is used to fill open tuition seats. Siblings of children returning to the program are given priority during the registration process. All children who do not receive a tuition seat are automatically placed on a waiting list. Waitlist families will be notified if an open seat becomes available.

If you are interested in the tuition-based preschool program, please complete the application available on the Welcome Center's Preschool Registration webpage during this application time period. 

Late last summer, changes were made to the preschool special education operating standards. One of those changes included new classroom type definitions, which specifically define special education service delivery classroom models (co-taught, general education, integrated and special education). Definitions include specific student ratios, student-to-teacher caseload, and educator qualification requirements for each type of class. 

The Ohio Department of Education, State Support Team, and the Office of Early Learning and School Readiness have been providing guidance to districts throughout this school year. Lakota along with the Butler County ESC had to process the guidance and how the changes impact provisions of special education within Lakota’s preschool special education program in light of the needs of incoming students. Ultimately, as a preschool special education program, Lakota has to be prepared to provide for the unique special education needs of all identified students within the parameters defined by the governing bodies.

Lakota’s preschool program exists due to special education laws and regulations. Special education is guided by the federal law known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 20 U.S.C. § 1400. This law was established to ensure all children with disabilities have access to receive a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in their Least-Restrictive Environment (LRE). Within that law, districts are required to provide a continuum of services that includes a variety of classroom types, including: preschool general education classrooms, integrated preschool classrooms and specialized special education classrooms. 

Lakota's partnership with the Butler County Educational Service Center (BCESC) helps fund the preschool program. While preschool staff are contracted by the BCESC, educators work collaboratively with Lakota's administrators to combine resources and ensure a successful transition to kindergarten. 

The program provides a nurturing environment that supports the intellectual, academic and social growth of young children. It is designed to serve both children with a wide range of identified special education needs as well as typically developing preschool aged children. 

The model is built on the premise that preschool-aged children with disabilities, as well as those with typical learning styles, can both benefit and grow academically and socially by learning alongside one another. All of Lakota’s preschool general education classrooms and integrated classrooms include both children with disabilities and children considered typically developing. Typically developing students pay tuition to attend the program whereas students who qualify for special education services attend at no cost due to federal mandates. 

There are general preschool licensing rules that are mostly governed by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services and the Office of Early Learning and School Readiness. However, the special education services are mostly governed by the Ohio Department of Education, Special Education Operating Standards. 

No. Currently in Ohio, universal preschool is not mandated or government funded. Typically developing students attending Lakota’s preschool program pay tuition to attend. Additionally, Lakota is not required to offer a minimum number of seats to tuition-based students.

Accommodating all preschool-aged children within Lakota’s boundaries would require significantly more staff, building space and resources than currently allocated for the preschool program, all of which would require local funding. Expanding the preschool program to this magnitude is not currently in Lakota’s long-term financial plans.

A class taught by a general education teacher or dual-licensed teacher with a maximum of six children with disabilities and the class must have more children without disabilities enrolled than children with disabilities. Special education services are provided through itinerant, direct or consultative services by a licensed intervention specialist. The class follows general licensing rules for ratio and group size requirements.

A class taught by a general education teacher or dual-licensed teacher in which 50 percent of the students are children with disabilities. Special education services are provided by the dual-licensed teacher. The class follows general licensing rules for ratio and group size requirements.

A public school preschool special education class in which all students are children with disabilities. The lead teacher is licensed to teach preschool special education. The class follows preschool special education rules for ratio and group size requirements. 

VanGorden Elementary is home to most of Lakota’s preschool classes, while Liberty Early Childhood School hosts a few classrooms as well. 

The preschool program was relocated to both locations in 2019 from Lakota’s six early childhood schools following a district-wide enrollment study that forecasted significant growth among youngest learners. To help plan for this growth and give our early learners the best possible learning environment, the district consolidated the preschool program into these two locations.

Currently, there are 12 preschool classrooms, located in VanGorden Elementary and Liberty Early Childhood School. The number of each type of preschool classroom setting (general education, integrated or specialized) provided each year in the program is dependent on the identified special education needs of the program. The type of least restrictive environment (LRE) provided to each student is individual to that student and is determined through the special education evaluation process and subsequent Individual Education Plan (IEP) team determinations.

No. Lakota preschool sessions are half day sessions(AM/PM), Monday through Thursday. Students do not attend on Fridays. There is no before or after school care available. The morning session begins at 8:45 a.m. and concludes at 11:30 a.m. The afternoon session begins at 12:45 p.m. and concludes at 3:30 p.m.

Yes. Lakota preschool provides a snack every day for our preschoolers. Typical snacks include goldfish crackers, yogart, pretzels, milk, juice, etc. 

No. There are no school supplies required for preschool. Teachers will occasionally request donations throughout the school year.