It's educational. It's social. It's developmental.

But perhaps the best thing about the Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts program is that it's free.

Currently, there are openings for Conestoga Valley 3- and 4-year-olds to participate in the Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts program being hosted by local nonprofit Steps to Success in conjunction with the Conestoga Valley School District (CVSD).

Michele Harbaugh, Steps to Success' executive director and founder, emphasized that Pre-K Counts is geared toward families experiencing financial hardships.

"This is a free program," she noted. "If you're paying for child care, you might not have to through this program. If people are out there struggling and not knowing about (the program), this is an opportunity. Conestoga Valley sends out information about the program, but if there are new families who just moved in to the district, they might not know about it. We want to make people aware of the program."

There are currently 10 openings for CVSD 3- and 4-year-olds in Pre-K Counts at Leola Elementary and one at Brownstown Elementary. There are also 10 openings at Smoketown Elementary, where the program is being hosted by Owl Hill Learning Center.

Fritz Elementary, Conestoga Valley's fourth elementary school, currently has a waiting list for the program.

"Every child's brain is a sponge," said Harbaugh. "Three- and 4-year-olds are very much in the curiosity stage. They're in the process of experimenting. That's how they learn, trial and error. (The program) is giving them the freedom to make mistakes and learn from them."

There are guidelines and restrictions associated with Pre-K Counts, which runs concurrently with the school year calendar. Participants' families must be within 300% of the federal poverty level.

To apply for Pre-K Counts, go to http://www.conestogavalley.org/Page/4877.

Conestoga Valley's first day of the 2024-25 school year for students is Monday, Aug. 26.

"The program follows the school district's schedule, generally from 8:30 a.m. to 3:20 p.m.," said Harbaugh. "The school district will bus the children to their home elementary school. They can ride the bus to school just like kindergartners. Steps to Success is offering wrap-around service at Brownstown Elementary. Parents can drop off as early as 6:30 a.m. and pick up as late as 5:30 p.m. We're really trying to reach out to every single scenario."

A typical day for Conestoga Valley 3- and 4-year-olds in Pre-K Counts includes breakfast, lunch and snacks; learning numbers, colors and the alphabet; practicing sharing and taking turns; and the development of fine motor skills through activities like puzzles and stringing beads.

"They're learning though play," said Harbaugh. "Executive skills are really important to learn before you start school. They're learning how to grasp things, so they know how to hold things like crayons and scissors. It doesn't look like a mini classroom. It looks like a learning center. Conestoga Valley is really trying to support these kids. The school district wants to foster up the children who are going to become their students."

While the Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts program is very representative of its mission, it is just a small portion of what Steps to Success does. Founded in 1995, Steps to Success employs 48 full-time and 19 part-time workers and serves 324 students across all of its programs in the Conestoga Valley and Donegal school districts.

"Steps to Success is always the home away from home," said Harbaugh. "We're trying to be the second family for kids, no matter what program they're involved in. Children are the most important thing."

For additional information on Steps to Success, go to http://www.stepstosuccessinc.com.