Early Care and Education Summit celebrates excellence

Nine area Early Care Education agencies were honored at the Early Care and Education Summit held Jan. 23 at the Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium in Clovis, including:

·         Biola-Pershing Preschool, Central Unified School District

·         Herndon-Barstow Preschool, Central Unified School District

·         Emma’s Day Care, Emma Gonzales

·         Area II Head Start, Fresno County Economic Opportunity Commission (FCEOC)

·         Jefferson Head Start, Fresno County Economic Opportunity Commission (FCEOC)

·         Mariposa Meadows Migrant Child, Fresno County Office of Education Care Center

·         Fresno State Programs for Children, California State University, Fresno

·         Slater Elementary Preschool, Fresno Unified School District

·         Alys’s Angels, Marialuisa Villasana

The summit, hosted by the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools Jim Yovino and the Fresno County Local Planning Council, provided an update on the important work that Early Care Education teachers do to prepare young children for future success, including school readiness programs, the contributions of Head Start, state-funded programs, center-based programs, private and public programs and family childcare providers. Early Care and Education is a partnership with Fresno County school districts, parents and providers. 

Along with the summit and awards, the Fresno County Office of Education introduced its Early Stars website, which will assist parents in determining quality indicators when selecting a childcare, early care or preschool locations. Fresno is just one of 16 counties in the State of California to develop an online searchable directory for teachers and parents. Visit www.earlystars.org for more information