On Tuesday U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced $1.32 million in federal funding will be going to Chautauqua Opportunities, Inc. to support a new Early Head Start – Child Care Partnership program and expand the organization’s ability to provide education and development services for low-income children.

“We’re very pleased to be awarded this funding,” COI Executive Director Roberta Keller told WRFA Wednesday morning. “We’ve been hoping to initiate this kind of programming as early as the 1990s, so it’s long overdue.”

Head Start and Early Head Start provide comprehensive child development programs for low-income children from birth to age five and their families. Community organizations are awarded grants to provide Head Start services in their community through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The federal funding allows new or existing Early Head Start programs to partner with local child care centers and family child care providers serving infants and toddlers from low-income families.

Keller said it was a very competitive grant process, but because COI has been recognized at the national level as a Center for Excellence she was optimistic the organization would receive some of the grant allocations. Keller also said that the $1.3 million will help COI provide full daycare services to 80 children and their familes, from newborns to 3 years of age, for the next five years. She said the funding will be applied to four different locations:

• 24 children in Jamestown through the COI early head start program at Holy Family Church;
• 24 children in Westfield through the Westfield YWCA daycare program;
• 16 children in Dunkirk/Fredonia through COI’s Connections North program;
• 16 children in the Silver Creek/Irving area through the Lake Shore Family Center.

Schumer and Gillibrand said that by providing a full-day, full-year program these partnerships support working families and develop a healthy and educational early experiences for the children to completely understand their limitless potential.

Officials with Chautauqua Opportunities walked Reed through its individual evaluation process, specifically the entrance interview, to see how the organization can be most helpful in getting individuals benefits and also how those benefits can be leveraged to help them out of poverty. 

Congressman Reed said that the current welfare system is made up of a patchwork of programs, administered in different manners by different federal agencies. He added that since the programs do not work in conjunction with one another, the goal of effectively assisting and caring for the needy is often not met. Reed said that’s why he’s looking for ways to strengthen the system to better empower individuals to make sound financial decisions.

Reed also met with Chautauqua Opportunities Executive Director Roberta Keller in March in Washington to learn more about their operations and talk about ways to partner to advance their mission. The meeting in March led Reed to visit their facility firsthand in Dunkirk for an overview of their services.

Chautauqua Opportunities provides services for about 20,000 residents each year with the goal of promoting economic security and opportunity.  Services include workforce development and short and long term financial planning to set individuals on a stable financial path.

The critical discussion will feature a panel of local experts, Chaired by Ann Abdella, executive director of the Chautauqua County Health Network. It will also consist of Betsy Wright, president and CEO of WCA Hospital; Todd Tranum, president & CEO at Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce & Manufacturers Association; Roberta Keller, executive director at Chautauqua Opportunities, Inc; Art Wingerter, president of Univera Healthcare; and Dr. Rudy Mueller.

Library Acting Director Tina Scott says she encourages people of the Chautauqua County area to attend this discussion to find out what the Health Exchange is and how it may affect their lives.

Tonight’s event is free and open to the public. For information, call 484-7135, Ext. 225.

The discussion will be chaired by Ann Abdella, executive director of the Chautauqua County Health Network. The panel will also consist of Todd Tranum, president & CEO at Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce & Manufacturers Association; Roberta Keller, executive director at Chautauqua Opportunities, Inc; Art Wingerter, president of Univera Healthcare; and Dr. Rudy Mueller, healthcare author and former Chautauqua County Legislator.

Prendergast Library Acting Director Tina Scott is encouraging people of the Chautauqua County area to attend the discussion to find out what the Health Exchange is and how it may affect their lives.

The discussion will run from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 19 in the Fireplace Room of the library, and is free and open to the public. The library web site, www.prendergastlibrary.org, also has links to federal law and other information on the health topic.

For information, call 484-7135, Ext. 225.