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RCOE Children and Family Services awarded $8 million child care grant
Parents are children’s first and most important teachers, but for an increasing number of families, both parents must work. In order to address the effects on children created by such circumstances, the Division of Children and Family Services Children’s Services Unit is pleased to announce the award of a grant from Riverside County First 5 to offer child development and care scholarships for children from early infancy through five years of age in targeted high need areas. Mecca, White Water, Coachella, Cabazon, Hemet, Thermal, Perris, Indio, and Desert Hot Springs are the geographic priority areas identified through the Healthy Cities Advancement Project study. The goal of the project is to serve approximately 600 children of the working poor monthly through licensed childcare providers through June, 2011.
In order to be eligible for scholarships, families must reside in one of the identified high priority areas, meet income guidelines, and register on the Centralized Eligibility List (CEL).
Advocates of early childhood education agree that quality child care and early education are imperative in children’s social, physical, and cognitive development at ages 0-5 years, during the most important stage of childhood. Numerous research studies have documented the positive, immediate, and long-term effects of high quality early learning and development. Children who attend quality early developmental programs perform at higher academic levels in the K-12 setting, are more likely to become good readers, and are more likely to graduate from high school.
First 5 Riverside, the Riverside County Children & Families Commission, is a public entity funded by Proposition 10 tobacco tax revenues and established by the County Board of Supervisors in 1999. First 5 Riverside provides funding of early education, health and child care services that help children through the age of 5 in developing a strong foundation for success in school and throughout their lives.
For more information, call Sharon Baskett, Director II or Jennifer Mozeleski, Program Development Specialist at (951) 826-4734.
For information contact:
Rick Peoples,
Public Information Officer
Telephone: (951) 826-6642
Fax: (951) 826-6199
rpeoples@rcoe.us
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