TUPELO - A newly formed citizens group hopes to raise an initial $200,000 to support early childhood education in Tupelo.

Tupelo dentist Harry Rayburn and Billy Crews, CEO of Journal Inc., which publishes the Daily Journal, announced Tuesday at the Early Childhood Center that the Committee of 200 will provide local private-sector funding to improve and expand pre-kindergarten programs in Tupelo.

The committee initially will focus on helping the Early Childhood Education Center maintain its enrollment of 220 students. The center, which is operated by the Tupelo Public School District, has 11 classes for 4-year-old students.

Prior to the current school year, the district received nearly $329,000 in one-time stimulus money to add two teachers, two assistants, an art teacher and an assistant teacher for motor development, plus supplies and property to be used in two new classrooms and throughout the building.

Because that money will not be renewed this year, the school will cut the art teacher and the motor development assistant. If it does not receive $200,000, it must reduce its number of classes to nine and shrink by 40 students.

Enrollment in the program is free and open to all 4-year-olds who live within the district. Priority is determined by academic need based upon an assessment test that the children must take when they register.

Early unsolicited efforts already have raised $29,000 to support the program.

The district tried to raise the money by accepting tuition students into the program but did not receive much interest. So Crews and Rayburn began an effort to provide private dollars so that more children would be able to receive the services the center offers.

"I think that it is important to begin the education process as early as we can at a high quality," Rayburn said. "Here in Tupelo, we're not going to give up just because the federal dollars are gone. That's not the way I was raised."

The committee's aim is for 200 individuals to each provide $1,000. Larger and smaller amounts also will be accepted. It also hopes to attract 10 to 20 businesses to provide $5,000 each.

"We have been talking about the importance of early childhood education for too long, but now is our opportunity to do something about it and to put our money where our mouth is," Crews said. "We think it is very achievable but it will be a challenge to do it in the next month or so."

The effort to preserve the enrollment at the Early Childhood Education Center is just one step toward improving early education in Tupelo.

Crews said the Committee of 200 wants to raise $200,000 a year for five years. That money could be used to match a $5 million federal grant for which the school district has applied.

The grant would be used to improve and expand the program.

Superintendent Randy Shaver said his goal is to have a free program available to all 4-year-olds in Tupelo.

Contact Chris Kieffer at (662) 678-1590 or chris.kieffer@djournal.com.