What’s New at CSC…

• During the month of July, Head Start/Pre-K teachers will implement Summer Start, a summer program targeting current Head Start children who are transitioning to kindergarten in the fall. There will be ten classrooms located throughout Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton, serving a total of 100 students. Children will attend four days each week for four hours each day. Teachers will target language and literacy development and key indicators in mathematics. Social/emotional development will take center stage as Family Engagement Partners and teachers support children and their families with the transition back into a school-based setting. Nutrition services, including both breakfast and lunch, will be provided for all enrolled children. Transportation services will also be available for a select number of classrooms. The Summer Start program has been made available through the Office of Head Start utilizing funds designated from the CARES Act.
• The Early Learning Resource Centers (ELRC) have been working remotely throughout the COVID-19 shutdown to make sure that families still have access to the resources and child care that they need. Many child care providers were able to obtain waivers to operate during the “red phase” in order to serve the families of essential workers. The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) continued to provide funding for providers who had children enrolled in the Child Care Works program at the time of the shutdown, so that even if providers were not open, they still received necessary funding. In addition, the ELRC distributed $9.3 million in CARES Act funding to certified child care providers in June. Additional CARES Act funds will be distributed to providers in July. In May and June, the ELRCs also successfully completed annual compliance monitoring conducted by OCDEL.
• Community Services for Children, in partnership with the Allentown School District, has launched a new school readiness and transition program – Kindergarten Jumpstart Center. Earlier this year, the Kindergarten Jumpstart team was able to visit over 125 childcare centers in the Allentown area to assist families with kindergarten registration. Due to the current climate of COVID-19, our School Readiness Partners are hard at work making virtual contact with childcare centers and providing assistance with the online kindergarten registration process. The Kindergarten Jumpstart team is looking forward to welcoming families to one of our convenient community-based locations: Jackson Early Childhood Center, Roosevelt Elementary, and the Neighborhood Resource Center. We look forward to serving families by assisting with kindergarten registration, providing school readiness materials, and hosting family-friendly community events.