By Eileen Buckley
Buffalo, NY – Early childhood development programs in Buffalo have received a big federal boost to improve programs. On Thursday, Congressman Tom Reynolds appeared at the offices of Every Person Influences Children -- known as EPIC -- to deliver a grant from the Department of Health and Human Services.
A federal grant of almost $1 million has arrived in Buffalo. It will help create the Erie County Early Learning Enhancement Council -- a collaboration of several organizations that serve children and families. EPIC President Vito Borrello says they will now be able to create a large effort of reaching out to young children with new learning and educational opportunities.
"Imagine a community initiative that also steps up its campaign to train and certify child care providers to enable working families to get more quality child care opportunities then ever before," Borrello said. "Imagine an initiative where child care providers receive the training and support to enable them to provide ore quality service to children with special needs."
The new collaboration will include Baker Victory Services, Literacy Volunteers, the Early Childhood Direction Center and United Way. United Way president Arlene Kaukus says 60-percent of working women have children under the age of six and are in need of quality day care.
"This federal funding, made possible through his grant, will help us to measurably improve quality for over 1,500 children in our community," Kaukus said.
Leaders of this collaboration say reading is key to early childhood development. Executive director of Literacy Volunteers, Tracy Diina, says reading must be infused at an earlier age,and this grant will offer more access to books.
"The United States Department of Education cites that 61-percent of low income families have no books in them," Diina said. "That is 61-percent of homes in our area across Buffalo, have no books in them."
Buffalo received one of only two grants awarded in New York State. The new organization will begin its work next year.