Free childcare, preschool
Apply for Head Start (3- to 4-year-olds) and Early Head Start (infants/toddlers) openings by contacting the following agencies:
- Contra Costa County: Four Richmond Head Start locations and additional centers countywide. Call (925) 272-4727 or visit ehsd.org;
- The Unity Council: Spots open in Richmond, Concord, Oakley, Pittsburg. Call (925) 798-1013, email headstart@unitycouncil.org or visit unitycouncil.org.
- Mexican American Opportunity Foundation (MAOF): Locations in Antioch, Martinez, Pittsburg. Call (510) 977-8667, email sguerrero@maof.org, or visit maof.org.Â
A new round of federal Head Start childcare and preschool funding announced last week by Contra Costa County means free childcare and preschool spots are open for more than 1,600 children.
The five-year awards provide $29.7 million in the first year and similar amounts annually for four more years for early childhood education for infants, toddlers, and preschool children, according to a press release.
The grant allows Contra Costa County to continue existing subcontractor partnerships with KinderCare, Aspiranet, Crossroads/Mt. Diablo Unified School District (MDUSD), and Tiny Toes. Head Start is also directly funding the Mexican American Opportunity Foundation (MAOF) and The Unity Council to deliver services to Contra Costa County children and families, expanding and improving access for Spanish-speaking and immigrant families.
“We will have Head Start funding for a total of 1,634 slots in Contra Costa County,” said District 5 Supervisor Federal Glover, chair of the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors. “We welcome MAOF and The Unity Council as partners that can help Contra Costa expand access to infant-toddler care and preschool, especially for our Spanish-speaking and immigrant families in parts of West, Central, and East County.”
The grants mark the expansion of MAOF, founded in 1963 in Los Angeles, to the Bay Area, where it will offer full-day, year-round child care through directly operated sites and partnerships with the YMCA of East Bay, Contra Costa College, and Child Start Inc., said Ciriaco Pinedo, its president and CEO, in the press release.
It also allows the Oakland-based Unity Council, officially known as the Spanish Speaking Unity Council, to begin serving Richmond, Pittsburg, and Oakley.
