The City of Columbus and Ohio State University have entered into a new partnership. OSU will offer free tuition to 100 hundred early education students. In exchange the city will have a pool of skilled educators to staff their growing pre-kindergarten program.
OSU President Michael Drake says the new partnership will invest $3.9 million in scholarship funds.
"Anything we can do to help teachers be better trained, and to help there be more teachers, to help our young people get a good head start on life we think is well worthwhile," Drake said.
During the next five years students can complete a bachelor's degree in early childhood education for free if they commit three years to working in Columbus schools. Former Mayor Michael Coleman, began the initiative to provide quality universal preschool. Now his successor Mayor Andrew Ginther says this partnership raises the bar on quality.
"It's part of this larger movement of bringing high quality universal Pre-K to Columbus so we couldn't ask for a better partner than OSU," Ginther explained.
The scholarships are expected to help Ohio State's Early Head Start Partnership, which provides education, health and community support for children and families in poor neighborhoods throughout Columbus.