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The goal of education reform pertaining to early childhood is to increase the availability and enhance the standards of affordable, high quality, early care and education to all three-and four- year- old children. The legislature and Governor, in allocating additional funds for the Community Partnerships for Children (CPC) program, targeted those funds to support early care and education for the young children of working parents.

The implementation plan has built upon the neighborhood concept of family services and child care, and the Elm Park Community Elementary School, the Fanning Building, and Worcester Arts Magnet School are providing a comprehensive system of preschool child care and education, including full-day, full-year programs for 60 children of working families The program links a comprehensive system of health and nutrition services, family and parenting support, and a planned program of transition activities from Head Start, child care centers, and preschools, to the publics schools.

Over 30 programs and agencies collaborated on this CPC initiative to develop a plan which will meet the challenge of providing a collaborative, high-quality system of services that is culturally sensitive, welcoming , and accessible to working families with preschool children. The local plan increases program comprehensiveness by expanding Head Start's Adult Literacy Program; by expanding HIPPY (Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youth) to families participating in the neighborhood-based community school; by assigning family service advocates to work with publics schools, Head Start, and children transitioning into kindergarten; by having health educators work with families on nutrition and health issues; and by making a consulting psychologist and physical, speech, and language therapists available to children with disabilities who are participating in the program.

For more information, contact:
Worcester Public Schools
Transition Program,
20 Irving Street,
Worcester, MA 01609.
T: 508/799-3666 F: 508/799-3206