Allentown, PA (October 9, 2018) – The Allentown School District is excited to announce an expanded partnership with Community Services for Children to provide classroom space for Head Start children in Jackson Early Childhood Center and K-6 Newcomer Academy located in the former Lincoln Elementary School. Each of the two classrooms enrolls 20 preschool-age children, for increased services to a total of 40 Allentown families. Head Start will provide comprehensive services to students, including breakfast and lunch, connection to health services, parent education and support.
“Our goal is to prepare these children to do well in kindergarten following their Head Start experience. We are grateful to Allentown School District for providing this space. Without this, we would not be able to enroll these children in Allentown this year,” said Community Services for Children CEO/President Paula Margraf. “We continue to have a large waiting list for Head Start-eligible children in Allentown,” she added.
“By hosting these classrooms in our existing elementary schools, children and their families will become better acquainted with the public school in their community, creating an easier transition into kindergarten,” said Thomas Parker, Superintendent for Allentown School District.
“We are great believers in Head Start’s results, preparing children to do well in kindergarten. Early learning programs set students up for long-term success,” continued Parker, “which aligns with our long-term goals of increasing grade 3 level reading proficiency, grade 9 success rates and ultimately ensuring that students graduate college and career ready.”
The collaborative effort speaks to the District’s ongoing efforts to strengthen relationships between community agencies and Allentown families, connecting them with resources that keep families engaged.
Community Services for Children’s Head Start of the Lehigh Valley program was named among the 10 highest quality programs in the nation by the National Head Start Association.
About the Allentown School District
The Allentown School District serves nearly 17,000 students in a network of 25 early childhood, elementary, middle and high schools throughout the city of Allentown, PA. The Allentown School District is the third largest urban school district out of 500 districts in the Commonwealth. The District’s Mission states that each and every student will graduate college and career ready by having their individual needs met through active engagement in a rigorous, safe and nurturing learning environment. Our core values reflect a commitment to excellence, partnership and equity. The Allentown School District employs approximately 2,400 teachers, staff and administrators. Founded in 1866, ASD serves students from 51 countries speaking 26 languages with nearly 90 percent household qualifying as low income. www.allentownsd.org
About Community Services for Children
Community Services for Children (CSC) provides early education to 1400 children ages prenatal-5 through Head Start, Early Head Start and Pre-K Counts programs in Lehigh and Northampton Counties. CSC also provides subsidies and other resources to 25,000 working families in 17 counties of NE Pennsylvania to access child care through the new Early Learning Resource Centers. https://www.cscinc.org/
Information provided to TVL by:
Office of Communications
Allentown School District
www.allentownsd.org/
