As part of Gov. Dannel Malloy’s education reform efforts, Family Centers has received a $108,000 grant to make 13 additional preschool slots available for the 2012-2013 school year.
The openings will be open to low-income Greenwich families, and are administered by the Connecticut School Readiness program – a Department of Education initiative that increases access to high quality preschool services for children between the ages of three and five.
“We are delighted that Gov. Malloy has recognized how important it is for our state’s children – especially those from low-income families – to have a preschool experience before entering kindergarten,” said Megan Sweeney, Family Centers’ Director of Early Care and Education and Head Start. “This funding allows us to give 13 additional Greenwich children a solid educational foundation.”
In order to accommodate the 13 new students, Family Centers plans to open a new classroom at its First Steps Preschool located at Armstrong Court in Greenwich in late August. The agency is currently searching for qualified teachers to staff the class. The class will be operated by Family Centers in collaboration with the Greenwich Board of Education and the Greenwich School Readiness Council. The First Steps site currently serves 51children through its existing School Readiness class (called the Dancing Dolphins) and a Head Start program.
The grant covers roughly two thirds of the costs associated with the new classroom’s operation and Family Centers is actively seeking the additional funding to ensure that the new class is ready for the start of the upcoming school year. When Family Centers opened a similar classroom in 2008, the Greenwich United Way provided the funding to furnish the space.
Statewide, the Governor approved a total of 1,000 new School Readiness slots. Public Act 12-116: An Act Concerning Education Reform targeted $6.775 million in funding, which was spread out among school districts and providers across the state in an effort to improve access to quality preschool services.
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