Governor awards preschool funding grant to county
Governor Northam announced this week that Rappahannock County was one of six recipients to receive grant funding for quality preschool education for at-risk children.
In a mixed-delivery grant made possible by the generosity of the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation (VECF) and in consultation with the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), Rappahannock County Public Schools will receive $250,000 over a 2.5-year period to continue the First Step program in collaboration with Child Care and Learning Center.
First Step was created as a result of the sudden closure of Head Start at the start of the school year 2018-2019. RCPS and Child Care and Learning Center partnered to offer a temporary Pre-K alternative for the children that were denied the Head Start services. This grant will help to create a permanent solution for continued preschool education for the young children in the Rappahannock County community. According to Governor Northam in a press release, “The investment we make in quality preschool education today will have longterm returns for our children, our future workforce, and our economy.”
According to RCPS Superintendent Shannon Grimsley, “This project is truly an exemplar of what a community can do when we come together around a common goal. In this case, providing high quality services to our neediest families with children of preschool age became paramount with the loss of Head Start funding. We are so pleased to be able to provide this service and look forward to what we can accomplish together.”
“We at CCLC are thrilled with the news,” said CCLC Board Member Eve Brooks. “The grant proposal was truly a collaborative effort under Superintendent Shannon Grimsley’s leadership. The public/private partnership behind the mixed delivery grant with the 23 organizational supporters and participants promises to become the backbone of improved services to young children and families.”
Added Lisa Pendleton, CCLC Program Director: “On behalf of the families served by the First Step Collaboration, we would like to thank Governor Northam, VECF, and VDOE for approving the Mixed Delivery Grant for Rappahannock County. For parents, just having the peace of mind that our children will continue to have the opportunity for early childhood education before entering Kindergarten is everything.”
County Administrator, Garrey W. Curry, Jr., thanked “school staff and private providers for their well orchestrated effort applying for this much needed grant that will establish a lasting program to assist Rappahannock County’s most vulnerable youth.”