BOSTON – The Baker administration this week announced $13.4 million in grant awards to 89 cities and towns, including Westfield, to provide supports to families with young children from birth to age eight. The Coordinated Family and Community Engagement (CFCE) grants promote the early learning and healthy development of young children through parent/child literacy playgroups, family support programs, and professional development for educators.
“The Coordinated Family and Community Engagement networks play a critical role in helping to provide a continuum of learning that gives children a strong foundation for academic success, which has enormous value for families, communities and the Commonwealth as a whole,” said Governor Charlie Baker.
“These grants help communities provide important resources to families that support their young children’s early learning and development, including literacy playgroups, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) activities, art and music education, and family support groups,” said Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito.
The 89 Coordinated Family and Community Engagement networks across the state provide beneficial early learning opportunities for young children accompanied by their parents or families in community-based settings such as libraries, museums, adult education centers, homeless shelters, and public schools. The CFCE networks also provide programming for parents and families that increases their capacity to support their children’s learning and development, and helps their children transition to kindergarten or elementary education.
“Engaging families across the Commonwealth in their children’s early learning is a key strategy to ensuring that Massachusetts’ next generation has a solid foundation for success,” said Department of Early Education and Care Commissioner Tom Weber. “These grants support families across Massachusetts by providing access to high-quality early education opportunities.
The CFCE networks support families in increasing their knowledge of, and accessibility to, high-quality early education and care programs and services, through direct services and referrals to a range of local resources including early childhood special education and early intervention. In 2014, the CFCE networks served more than 100,000 families across the Commonwealth.
For the directory of CFCE networks by location visit EEC’s website (http://www.eec.state.ma.us/ChildCareSearch/CFCE.aspx). In addition, many of the CFCE’s offerings are posted on the Brain Building in Progress campaign’s calendar of activities (www.brainbuildinginprogress.org).
