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ROCHESTER, N.Y. (September 13, 2007) – A partnership of non-profits, local government, the Rochester City School District, and private industry has resulted in funding for a pilot program that helps young children get the education and support they need while making it easier for working parents to enroll their children. The Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program, which will be implemented at four sites around the city, will provide transportation to children to and from the site, thereby eliminating a major barrier for working parents or parents without transportation.
Many areas of Rochester are extremely underserved when it comes to pre-kindergarten opportunities, and many parents face barriers to accessing what opportunities are available. To reduce these barriers, The Community Place of Greater Rochester had for several years offered a Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program that provided transportation to children to and from child care centers or day care providers or directly from a child’s home. The program boasted one of the highest enrollment and attendance rates in the city, thanks in large part to the transportation provided. The funding sources for the program did not cover transportation, though, and eventually The Community Place was unable to meet the increasing costs associated with transporting children to and from its center.
This summer Jacque Cady, a strong advocate for early childhood education in Rochester, met with The Community Place to discuss the possibility of obtaining funding to sustain The Community Place’s Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program and replicate the model at additional sites. She spearheaded the effort to obtain funds, and an agreement between the Rochester City School District, private funders, and the UPK pilot program sites- The Community Place, two Family Child Care Satellites of Greater Rochester, and the Early Childhood Education Quality Council- was reached. The programs at each of the four sites will help young children obtain the educational and developmental support they need for a successful start to school and build a solid foundation for future success. They will also help parents who may otherwise have been unable to give their children the opportunity to attend the program.
The challenge now is enrollment; the program has a proven track record of success, but it must be at or near full enrollment to ensure continued funding. Interested parents or day care providers should call Ellen McGuire, early childhood director, The Community Place, at 336-4683.
The Community Place of Greater Rochester, Inc. is a nonprofit provider of neighborhood-based human services that offers a variety of programs and services to individuals, families, children, the aging, and the developmentally disabled living in the greater Rochester area. The Community Place was formed from the merger of the former Lewis Street Center, Genesee Settlement House, and Eastside Community Center. 2007 marks The Community Place’s centennial. Find out more at www.communityplace.org.
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