Toyota Contributes $10K to Tuition Assistance for Needy Preschoolers

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Johnstown, PA (Dec. 10, 2014) – Children whose families struggle to afford the cost of a quality preschool program may be eligible for tuition assistance from The Learning Lamp, thanks to a $10,000 contribution from Laurel Toyota and the Toyota Dealer Match Program. Laurel Toyota presented The Learning Lamp with a check for $10,000 Wednesday, December 10–$5,000 from the local dealership and a matching $5,000 from Toyota USA. The Learning Lamp was one of three nonprofit organizations that received a combined $21,000 in contributions to their causes.

“Laurel Toyota has accomplished many goals and has been fortunate to earn the trust of many customers in our 30 years of doing business in this community. We identify ourselves as an organization that believes strongly in local support and involvement in the fabric of the community,” explained Matt Smith, Executive Vice President of Laurel Auto Group.

An increasing body of research shows that investing in quality early learning programs better prepares children for success in school, ultimately boosting the economy and saving taxpayers money by reducing the need for special and remedial education. Because quality preschool works, government initiatives such as Head Start (HS) and Pre-K Counts (PKC) have focused on providing free pre-k to children whose families’ incomes fall at or below 100 percent of the federal poverty level for HS and up to 300 percent for PKC. Yet, there are families in Cambria, Somerset and Bedford counties that cannot access those programs.

“Publicly funded preschool such as Head Start and PA Pre-K Counts only have so many slots available. There are families that qualify that are not served and others whose income is just over the line and are ineligible but still struggling financially,” explained Leah Spangler, Chief Executive Office of The Learning Lamp. “We are so appreciative of Laurel Toyota’s support of our Preschool Tuition Assistance Program. A contribution of $10,000 will go a long way toward helping area families send their children to high quality pre-k programs.”

Over the past eight years, The Learning Lamp has distributed $1.69 million in tuition assistance to families experiencing financial hardship or whose income and family size made it difficult for them to afford the out-of-pocket cost of preschool. On average, one in three children enrolled in The Learning Lamp’s eight preschool locations receives tuition assistance funded by individual and business contributions to the organization. To learn more about The Learning Lamp’s early learning programs, visit thelearninglamp.org or call 814-262-0732.

The Learning Lamp is a nonprofit organization with a mission to engage all children in the support they need to succeed. We deliver high quality programs that are affordable and accessible to families of all income levels. The Learning Lamp served 18,468 children from 70 school districts and 36 non-public and private schools and other organizations in 32 Pennsylvania counties in 2013.

Our programs include: one-to-one tutoring; before/after school programs; portable classrooms aimed at building math and science skills; alternative education programs for at-risk students; evidence-based prevention programs; online learning and credit recovery; SAT preparation; educationally-focused child care; literacy-based preschool programs; and grant writing and project consulting for schools.