1996-04-29-HSC-rpt.pdf - Laserfiche WebLink

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Report to the Human Services Committee on Need for Preschool as of 4/29/96 Early Education Scholarships. In October, 1994, at the request of the Early Education Scholarship Fund Subcommittee of die School Department's Early Childhood Education Committee (under the auspices of the School Deparnncni s Special Education Division), I obtained the following statistics relevant to need: Lexington families in Section 8 and subsidized housing 24 with 32 preschool children Families receiving food stamps 33 Families receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children 32 The Committee was formed as a.requirement for receiving three year Early Education 'Bridge Development' funding which resulted in language and development consultation services being rendered on behalf of three and four year-olds who attend Lexington preschools. At the time, there were 48 preschoolers on educational plans. A collaboration was envisaged between Lexington and other towns with a program envisaged that would integrate children of different financial and cultural backgrounds as well as children with special needs. The federally funded Head Start program was seen as a possible funding source. A survey was conducted by the Early Childhood Early Education Committee to ascertain the extent to which families were in need of scholarships (see Linda Finnerty), and a brochure was disseminated listing preschools in Lexington which had a history of providing financial assistance. The Human Services Coordinator participated in meetings of the scholarship subcommittee which announced as a goal 'that every children, whose nullify so chooses, shall be afforded at etas( one year of preschool prior to their Kindergarten year regardless of financial contraints. Ephraim Weiss request. In January 1996, Ephraim Weiss contacted the Human Services Committee requesting that it inquire into the needs of preschool children. His request was prompted by reading a newspaper account of a six-year old child in New York City whose death was the result of lack of coordination between social agencies. Community Partnerships grant. Also, in January it was announced in the press that Lexington woud participate in a Mass. Department of Education's Community Partnerships for Children program. The grant assists working parents who are not on welfare with children three to four years old in need of child care. A day care center just getting under way and modeled after the Head Start program, is housed at the Stratton School in Arlington. In April, 1 met with Stacy Dimino, Executive Director, Communities United, Inc. (77 Rumford Ave. Suite 1, Waltham 02154 736-7890). She is the administrator of the grant and of a 26 year-old private, nonprofit, single purpose, state and federally funded agency serving younger children. The Communities United Community Partnerships grant serves Arlington, Belmont, Brookline, Burlington Lexington Needham, Newton. Waltham, Watertown, Wellesley and Woburn. The agency has a staff of 80 and a three million dollar budget. When Communities United received the Community Partnership RFP it contacted mainly public schools, ended up writing six proposals and being funded for four receiving a total of$550,000 over 18 months. In Arlignton, Katherine Frazer called neighborhing communities and enlisted Lexington, Belmont and Burlington.