News

Parent-Child Home Program to Testify Before the NYC City Council

PCHP’s NY Regional Coordinator Andre Eaton Will Testify
Advocating for City’s First Readers

NEW YORK, NEW YORK MARCH 18, 2016 – Today, PCHP’s New York Regional Coordinator Andre Eaton is testifying in front of the NYC City Council advocating the importance of City’s First Readers, which supports the expansion of reading readiness across the city through programs like the Parent-Child Home Program (PCHP).  City’s First Readers is advocating for $5 million in 2017 to expand this collaboration across the city.  These funds will directly benefit low-income children in all five boroughs by helping them access early childhood education and literacy services not currently available to them.

Across the city, underserved children do not have access to the quality early literacy experiences that will prepare them to be successful in pre-k and beyond.  Their families often do not have access to the information, materials, and activities that support children’s school readiness skills, and ensure the language and early literacy skills that they need to succeed in the classroom.  By supporting City’s First Readers, we ensure that these children and their families have access to the knowledge, skills, and materials that will support their school readiness.  PCHP does exactly that.  Last year alone PCHP provided over 30,000 home visits and distributed over 15,000 books and educational toys in New York City.
Through City’s First Reader’s, PCHP has not only been able to provide intensive early literacy support to 75 additional families challenged by poverty, isolation, and language and literacy barriers in communities including Astoria, Washington Heights, and Sunset Park, but also to connect these and other PCHP families across the city with a continuum of literacy services and activities in their communities that are working together to ensure that children are reading on grade level by third grade.
“For the past two years, PCHP has been a partner in NYC’s City’s First Readers early literacy network.  We are grateful to be working together with other quality programs to combat the lack of school readiness across the city, prepare children to succeed in school, and provide parents the tools necessary to be their children’s first and most important teachers,” explained PCHP’s NY Regional Coordinator Andre Eaton.  “The network is built around a continuum of services from 0-5 focused on closing the achievement gap in literacy achievement for the youngest of children around NYC.  We look forward to continuing our advocacy work for additional funding to expand our services across the city.  PCHP thanks City Councilmen Stephen Levin and Antonio Reynoso in particular for their continued support and dedication to this citywide effort.”
PCHP thanks the NYC City Council for its support for this initiative, and looks forward to continuing to work with the City Council to expand this critical continuum of services for young NYC families.

About Parent Child Home Program

The Parent-Child Home Program’s (PCHP) nationwide network of program sites provides under-resourced families with the necessary tools to ensure their children achieve their greatest potential in school and in life.  Since 1965, PCHP has been assisting underserved communities in replicating and expanding this proven school readiness program that builds early parent-child verbal interaction and learning at home.  Through twice-weekly visits by highly trained community-based Early Learning Specialists, PCHP provides families the skills, materials (books and educational toys), and support to help parents engage and teach their children.  Almost 50 years of research shows that the Program effectively increases school readiness, decreases the need for special education services before grade 3 by 50%, and increases participants’ high school graduation rates by over 30% to the same level as their middle income peers.  For more information please go to www.parent-child.org.

 
About City’s First Readers

City’s First Readers, an initiative of the New York City Council, is a collaboration of nonprofit organizations fostering the literacy development of NYC children, ages 0-5. The initiative provides parents, early childcare providers, and teachers with the resources and services needed to ensure children enter school ready to read and achieve educational success. For more information please go to www.citysfirstreaders.com

 
Media Contact:
The Parent-Child Home Program
Courtney Inman Tel: 516.883.7481

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