Cary Preschool Offers Scholarship

Cary, NC – For many parents in Cary, finding a quality daycare situation for their young children is a very important part of their life. In households with full-time working parents its not just a “want” it’s a need.

Eli Zablud, Alicia Fink and Adam Zablud,  the owners of  Oak Village Academy, recognize that not everyone can afford this care, and that’s why this year they created the Building Hope Scholarship. Their hope is to raise enough money with this scholarship to cover the tuition for a deserving family to send their child to the school full time for a year. If the program is successful, the goal is to cover all four years of a toddler’s tuition.

If you have enrolled a child in full-time daycare recently, you know how expensive the monthly tuition can be. If you have had 2 children in daycare, you probably wonder if it’s even worth going to work, when your salary basically covers the daycare costs. Children need quality caregivers, in a clean and safe environment where they can be intellectually stimulated as well as loved.

The Oak Village Difference

Oak Village Academy was founded in 2018 with the mission that children need time to be outside in order to learn.  Outdoor learning and play experiences are part of every child’s day at this school. The school was built as a small campus in which each age level occupies its own building. There are plenty of outdoor spaces full of learning opportunities. The partners firmly believe the research that describes outdoor play’s numerous benefits. Benefits include better problem-solving, improvement of academic performance, reduced attention deficit disorders, reduces stress, increases overall physical activity, as well as improved social behavior and self-discipline. When many schools are cutting recess and P.E., this school has centered its entire curriculum around outdoor play.

The center has earned a five-star rating from the NC Division of Child Development and Early Education and uses a lower teacher-to-student ratio than is currently required by North Carolina guidelines. For instance, in North Carolina, an infant room can have as many as 10 children with two teachers. At Oak Village, that number is a maximum of eight children with two teachers. For Pre-kindergarten the state allows as many as twenty-four students with one teacher. At Oak Village that ratio is 1:12.  This individualized attention is not easily afforded by everyone.

Why a Scholarship?

Owner Alicia Fink said, “We saw a need in the community to provide a quality educational experience for young children that may not be able to have that opportunity without assistance. ” She added, The scholarship “will focus on families that struggle or are in a situation where they need quality and loving education for their children so they can further their own education or work so we can take some of the stress off the everyday family.”

The deadline to file applications is October 15, 2019, so that a child could be enrolled by January 2020.

Selection Process

I asked how a child’s family will be selected. Alicia answered “First we will take all applications into consideration. The board of directors for our foundation will have a final selection based off of the applications and the information we have gathered. We will then hold interviews with the families. This could consist of one interview or a few, to make sure we have the right candidate.”

Donors Needed

The school is currently seeking donors to contribute to The Building Hope Scholarship Foundation, a 501 (c) 3 organization.

One of Alicia’s goals is ” For everyone who hears and reads this to donate something. Even if they donate $1, think about the possibilities we have to help more than one child. Our goal is to help as many children as possible”

All monies raised will go towards paying for the tuition each year for a student to be able to attend the school free of charge. The scholarship will be awarded on an annual basis and will be re-evaluated every six months for ongoing approval of funds.

For more information to donate or apply visit the website.