4C Miami Valley receives funding to promote school readiness

The Montgomery County Early Childhood Initiative has awarded 4C Miami Valley a grant to promote school readiness in 11 selected child care centers, or focus sites, in the county to assist them with preparing to apply for a state quality rating. The grant will fund two full-time technical assistant positions at 4C to offer support. It will also provide a $20,000 grant to each focus site to help enhance the quality of its program and possibly earn a star-rating through Ohio's Step Up To Quality program.

The new 4C specialists will meet with directors of the focus sites on a regular basis, offer training programs, and conduct or arrange for classroom or program assessments. Their goal is to promote high quality, caring learning environments for young children.

A focus site can use $16,000 of its $20,000 grant to prepare for application to Step Up To Quality. Funds can be used to buy classroom materials, develop curriculum, improve playground equipment, make repairs and renovations to the facility and give bonuses to staff as they complete training and education. The remaining $4,000 of a center's grant will be awarded when it achieves a star-rating.

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2008 Circle of Friends newsletter