WATERLOO -- Sharon Limback's preschool students are "Walking with Jesus."

The Immanuel Lutheran School teacher opens a case with those words on it and pulls out a puppet to the delight of the 18 children sitting in rows in front of her. She sets out a small toy bed and figures made of cardboard tubes before telling a Bible story about the prophet Samuel.

In a Blessed Sacrament Catholic School classroom, preschool teacher Cathy Reindl's 4-year-old students are gathered around a table for snack time. Before they dig into the crackers and juice, though, everyone pauses for a prayer. The children, following Reindl's lead, make the sign of the cross and sing their thanks to God.

The two classes are the first parochial schools to join Waterloo Community Schools' voluntary preschool program. It is a part of a statewide effort to make preschool accessible to all by providing 10 hours of quality early childhood education per week to 4-year-olds at no cost to parents. Participation is not limited by income.

The program funnels money to the district's voluntary preschool classrooms and its six private school partners through a state funding formula, set at $3,200 per student this year. The two parochial schools signed agreements with the district to receive funding for 18 students each.

Limback acknowledged a religious focus in her classroom, but that aspect is technically not included in the state-sanctioned portion of the programs.

Religiously based preschools must ensure that instruction supported by state funds is "secular, neutral and nonideological," according to information from the Iowa Department of Education. Such preschools also must ensure that children are not compelled to participate in any religious activity and that public funds are not used to support religious instruction.

"That was one reason we went to more hours," said Limback. "We are not to include that (religious instruction) in our 10 hours of curricular time."

The class that is part of the program is held five days per week, three hours per day. That means it has five hours more per week than required under the state program.

Because of the expanded time for the Immanuel class, Limback has been able to add more writing, drama, literacy and math into the curriculum.

Blessed Sacrament also does "the religion as a separate piece," said Reindl. The preschool program meets five days per week for about 2 1/2 hours each day.

Along with the snack-time prayer, Reindl described their religious instruction more as a "values-based thing." For example, she will read a Veggie Tales book to the students that ends with a Bible verse.

"Otherwise (the stories are) just what kids should do," said Reindl. "At this level, it's not particularly Catholic doctrine of any kind."

A new aspect this year at Blessed Sacrament weekly 15-minute classes in music, physical education, Spanish, computer and library with another teacher at the school.

"My main focus is getting kids ready for kindergarten," said Reindl.

Signing onto the state-funded program saves families $1,100 in tuition this year at Blessed Sacrament and $1,200 at Immanuel.

Because of when Blessed Sacrament joined the program, families were not expecting it to be free this year.

"They didn't know that when school started," said Reindl.

Limback said Immanuel decided to join the program because of how the free option increases access to preschool for families.

She added that providing preschool at no cost "was a marvelous thing to be able to offer to our families."

Limback said the school had to call each family that had signed up children to make sure they would want to participate in the expanding free program.

"It was very much a surprise and it was a wonderful surprise, to be honest with you," said Heather Rindels, whose daughter Lauren attends the Immanuel class.

She and her husband had already committed to the preschool, even with a cost. But what they really appreciated was the expanded number of days.

"For us it was more the stability of five days a week rather than if it were free," said Rindels.

Contact Andrew Wind at (319) 291-1507 or andrew.wind@wcfcourier.com.