- Mini grant was awarded to the Taft College Children's Center for working and supporting early learning environments through childcare.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Like most childhood development programs, it needs new funding to provide vital resources. Thanks to a mini-grant from First Five Kern, Taft College Children's Center can improve its facilities, educational tools, and the overall environment for children under their care.
“We have a top playground right here that just reopened it was deemed unsafe because we needed a fence for the children to be able to play on it, so we just opened it back up and we would like some new equipment out there, so I did send pictures of the different things that we wanted, and we were one of the recipients for the grants,” says Cassie Salinas, Site Supervisor for Taft College Children's Center.
Cassie Salinas says the 2000 dollar grant will help improve the existing services at the center. She said they're always striving to make the center a safe place, that is welcoming to the community, who are best able to utilize their services.
The center was established in 1974, starting as a nursery school. Later the college sponsored it as a place to support students who are parents. Program director Meghan Hall-Silveira says staff members, along with funding from local businesses and the community, have enabled the center to offer their services to the entire community.
“That 2000 dollars are going to buy some portable play equipment for our children that have been climbing on materials that are degrading and we always check for safety but when you have a child who has been here since birth climbing on the same wagon wheel for five years that gets old,” says Meghan Hall-Silveira.
Salinas says the center just finished the paperwork for the grant and will be receiving a check before the end of the year. She says that the center is not only a beneficial learning environment but also a place for parents and students to learn development skills as well.
“Outside spaces are really important places for kids to you know they still learn social skills out there and they learn communication, teamwork, so we thought by adding a few more, you know toys, we could help encourage them to continue to learn outside also” continues Salinas.
Officials from the school say children learn best through play and that upgrades like this will help achieve that!
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