State Representative Vernon G. Smith (D-Gary) is condemning the Indiana General Assembly and the Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) for cutting funding to the state’s On My Way Pre-K program—changes he warns will have “devastating” consequences for families and children across the state.
In a public statement earlier this month, Smith—a former principal and lifelong educator—sharply criticized the decision, saying it prioritizes alternative education funding at the expense of children who need early support.
“As a former principal and lifelong educator, the impact of these cuts will be devastating to our families,” Smith said. “All children learn differently, and preschool teaches children how to be students.”
On My Way Pre-K is Indiana’s only state-funded preschool program for low-income families. It provides free, high-quality early education to 4-year-olds who meet income eligibility criteria. The recent changes reduce the program’s income eligibility threshold and limit the number of children who can participate, a move state officials have said is due to the expiration of federal pandemic-era childcare funds.
But Smith argues the issue is about more than dollars and cents.
“We are increasing monies for charter schools, vouchers, and other alternative methods to attack the low achievement of children living in poverty and children of color, when we know that early school exposure is the answer,” he said. “Research supports this, yet we chose to cut pre-kindergarten funding.”
For Smith, the decision reflects a troubling shift in educational priorities. He pointed to Indiana’s ongoing literacy crisis as evidence of why early education is critical. “In 2023, 1 in 5 of our third graders could not read at grade level,” he noted. “Preschool is an effective, preventative measure that counteracts this crisis.”
He explained that exposing children to reading, writing, and speech at a younger age allows educators to recognize learning delays early and implement interventions when they are most effective. Without this early exposure, students from
low-income backgrounds—who already face barriers in academic achievement—are likely to fall further behind.
Smith also emphasized the program’s role in equalizing access to opportunity.
“On My Way Pre-K ensures that all children receive the same educational opportunities regardless of their families’ economic situation,” he said.
The loss of access to pre-kindergarten will affect thousands of children across Indiana. While the revised eligibility criteria may preserve funding for the neediest families, critics like Smith warn that it leaves behind a broad swath of working-class households who depend on the support.
“The thousands of children who will lose access to pre-K deserve better from the legislature,” Smith said. “I am heartbroken for the children and families in Indiana who will be impacted. We have a higher calling to care for the least of these, and this decision is the antithesis of that calling.”
As Indiana prepares to implement the revised Pre-K funding structure for the 2025–2026 school year, families, educators, and advocates are assessing what the changes will mean for their local communities. Many say the cuts threaten the stability of early learning centers and could widen the achievement gap between children from different economic backgrounds.
Smith’s statement serves as a sharp rebuke to policymakers who, he says, have turned their backs on Indiana’s most vulnerable residents at a time when early educational support is needed more than ever.