Parents, children, school officials and community leaders today gathered at Northam Elementary School to celebrate the opening of a preschool that will provide a high-quality and affordable early childhood education to better prepare children for kindergarten in La Puente.

Options-Northam Preschool is the result of a six-month collaboration between LAUP and Options, a childcare and human services agency established in 1981 to provide direct childcare and childcare services to low-income families living in the San Gabriel Valley and Whittier areas of East Los Angeles County.

The LAUP funded preschool will serve 48 4-year-olds at little or no cost to their families thanks to an LAUP investment of $233,743 in the classroom and $182,000 per year in annual tuition subsidies.

“I am often asked, ‘Why is preschool so important in a child’s life?’ ” said Dr. Gary Mangiofico, CEO of LAUP. “The answer is clear and simple. Children who attend a quality preschool are more likely to succeed in the K-12 school system.”

That opinion was echoed by Jeanette Chien, Principal of Northam Elementary School in the Rowland Unified School District.

“Preschool is really important,” she said. “It gives our children not only the academic and social skills they need, but it also gives them confidence.”

In La Puente, LAUP’s investment in preschool facility development now totals about $4 million on 10 sites. These LAUP preschools opened during the past four years and will serve 536 children per year at an annual investment in the community by LAUP of more than $2 million.