Child Development Centers, Inc. (CDC) is accepting enrollments for a number of programs that it offers for infants, toddlers and preschool children.
Here are the details about each program:
Head Start – Head Start is the federal government’s preschool program for three-, four- and five-year-old children from low-income households. The full-day program is intended to prepare children for a successful transition to kindergarten and elementary school. In addition to early childhood education, Head Start offers a number of other services that supports the children’s health and development and family well-being.
A family’s income must be at or below the federal poverty level – currently $24,600 for a family of four – for children to enroll in Head Start. The program is free to income-eligible households. Head Start openings exist at Grant Street Child Development Center in Oil City and Seventh Street Head Start in Franklin.
Pre-K Counts – This full-day program for three-, four- and five-year-old boys and girls is intended to give them an early educational boost that will help them to make a successful transition to kindergarten and beyond, and to do better in school.
Pre-K Counts focuses on reading and math skills, social and school readiness skills, following directions, and getting along with fellow students and teachers. There also is an emphasis on developing an interest in learning and involving the family in the child’s education.
CDC has Pre-K Counts openings at its Hasson Heights, Franklin School-Age and Cranberry centers. Grant funding covers all costs of Pre-K Counts, which is open to families with income up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level.
Early Head Start – This program is for infants and toddlers up to their third birthday, and for expectant mothers and their families. The program provides full-day, year-around child care and early childhood education, a nutritious breakfast, lunch and snack for the children, periodic home visits, and access to high-quality health care services, plus services for expectant moms before and after they give birth.
Early Head Start is intended to promote early childhood development, to engage parents in their roles as caregivers and teachers, and to help families move toward self-sufficiency. Another purpose is to provide a strong foundation of early learning that allows children to make a successful transition to preschool and kindergarten.
Grant funding covers most costs of the Early Head Start program for working, income-eligible families. To qualify for Early Head Start, a family’s income must be at or below the federal poverty level, which currently is $24,600 for a family of four.
The Early Head Start program is available at CDC’s Oil City, Franklin and Cranberry centers.
Families can enroll their children in Head Start or Pre-K Counts or learn more by contacting Martha Hoover at CDC, 814-518-5309 or mhoover@cdcenters.org.
Application forms and more information about Early Head Start are available from Michelle Collins at CDC, 814-670-0838 or mcollins@cdcenters.org.
