CHILD CARE ASSOCIATES AWARDED TWO GRANTS TO HELP AT-RISK PRESCHOOLERS IN NORTH TEXAS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) February 7, 2006 -- FORT WORTH, Texas (Feb. 7, 2006) Fort Worth-based Child Care Associates (CCA) has been awarded two grants by The Administration on Children and Families Head Start Bureau for separate programs that have a common and important goal � to improve the well-being of high-risk preschool children.

The first is a competitive nationwide grant for the Culturally Responsive and Aware Dual Language Education (CRADLE) project. CRADLE is designed to assist Head Start grantees � like Child Care Associates � who are serving children and families whose home language is not English. CCA staff will learn skills to strengthen their relationships with parents and children aged birth to three years in language acquisition to give the children a strong foundation and the support required for future success.

During February, a team of five staff will participate in training that will prepare them to assist and support families in understanding linguistic and cultural issues that arise in dual language families. The lessons learned in training will be used to support families with children enrolled in the Early Head Start program. At the conclusion of the nine-month project the national administrator will conduct a follow-up to document and assess CCA�s activities and their successes.

The second grant is for an Oral Health Initiative that will fund efforts to develop, implement, and disseminate a culturally sensitive, innovative, best practice model targeting children aged birth to five years, and pregnant women. The model will address educating parents about oral health � preventative and restorative � and the importance of proper oral health practices so that their children are healthy and not distracted from learning by dental or related issues.

An evaluator will work with each of the awarded projects; data collected from all project sites will be used in a national evaluation. Funding will help pay for needed dental services of selected children. Lessons learned from the project will be shared with other Head Start programs and other relevant community groups.

Non-profit Child Care Associates provides comprehensive child care and development services throughout North and West Central Texas to more than 30,000 children each year.