|
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. |
|