Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, Ninth District, IL

 

 

 
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Press Release
 

JANUARY 21, 2005
 

SCHAKOWSKY SECURES FUNDING 
FOR CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOL
CHILD/PARENT CENTER PROGRAM

 
 

CHICAGO, IL – U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) today announced that she successfully secured $600,000 in federal funding for Chicago Public Schools (CPS).  The federal dollars were included in the Fiscal Year 2005 Omnibus Appropriations spending bill.  The $600,000 will provide needed funds to the Child-Parent Center Program (CPC), which is the second oldest federally funded early childhood program in the United States.  The funds will be distributed through the Department of Education’s Improvement of Education (FIE) program account.

  “It is critical to invest in innovative programs like CPS’s Child-Parent Center.  Involving parents more intimately in their young children’s education is a sure way to help our children excel in the future.  I will continue to work with the Chicago Public schools to ensure that our children’s educational needs are met in and out of the classroom,” Schakowsky said.

The Child-Parent Center Program (CPC) is the second oldest federally funded early childhood program in the United States.  It was designed in 1967 to combat the negative impact of high absenteeism, truancy and parental apathy on school performance.  The program was given exemplary status by the U.S. Department of Education in 1976 and again in 1998.  Centers are located in or near 23 low-income District 299 elementary schools and functions under the administrative leadership of the elementary school principal.  The program serves children ages three, four, (and five at 17 sites) and their parents.

The annual budget of the CPC program is approximately $15,000,000.  Since the CPC Program targets preschools, while those 18 sites that continue the CPC experience through kindergarten require CPS Board of Education funding to support kindergarten teachers’ salaries.  Twenty-one CPC classrooms have expanded school hours (7A.M. – 6:00 P.M.) and operate a 49 week school program through the blending of Title I and CDHS Head Start Collaboration dollars.

“In the 37th year of its operation, the Child-Parent Center Program continues to positively impact families.  It clearly demonstrates an effective partnership and a wise use of federal and local funds,” Schakowsky concluded.

 


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