FAMILY AND COMMUNITY CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION (FCCA) AWARDED AN ADDITIONAL $618,000 IN GRANTS TO SERVE 96 CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES

 

We proudly announce that the FCCA has secured $618,000 in grant funding from the State Education and Human services Departments’ Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL).

The FCCA has received $224,000 in Head Start Supplemental (HSSAP) funding to serve 56 children in Meadville and Conneaut Lake.  The grant funding covers 70 child days between February and June of the current program year.  The Expansion Awards and Funding were delayed this year due to the Pennsylvania State Budget Impasse.  Annually, the FCCA will receive $448,000 to serve the 56 children for 180 days.

 

The FCCA has also received $69,000 in Pre-K Counts Expansion funding to serve 40 children in Seneca, Meadville, and Titusville.  The grant funding covers 75 child days between February and June of the current program year.  Annually, the FCCA will receive $170,000 to serve the 40 children for 180 days. 

 

The FCCA has been the grantee agency for FCCA Twin Creeks Head Start for over 40 years.  Currently serving over 650 children and their families in Crawford and Venango Counties. 

HSSAP and Pre-K Counts are both FREE programs for children who are at least three years old, but not old enough to start Kindergarten.  The programs are primarily full-day with some half-day options available in the two-county territory.  The free program is primarily for low-income households, but families whose income is up to the 300% of the federal poverty level may also complete an application. 

 

Both programs focus on School Readiness Goals, Social and Emotional skills, math and reading, and providing help and assistance to families with meeting their personal, educational, and employment goals.  Each day, the children receive breakfast, lunch and snack.  The program employs Family Service Workers that focus on the families and conducts home visit services as needed and ensures that families have access to other agencies and health services.  One of the goals of the programs is to ensure that every child leaves our program ready to succeed in Kindergarten!

 

Families can obtain application forms and more information about Head Start and Pre-K Counts by visiting our website at www.fccafamily.com, calling 814-724-6530, or emailing Susan Shorts at sshorts@fccafamily.com 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A celebration 100 years in the making

Keith Gushard - The Meadville Tribune May 2014

 

 

MEADVILLE — Meadville’s Family & Community Christian Association marked its 100th anniversary in downtown Meadville on Saturday with games and the laughter of children.

The centennial celebration was a street carnival outside the FCCA headquarters at 378 Chestnut St.

The event, which ran from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., featured games, prizes, clowns, inflatable bounce rides, a juggler, face painting and more for young children and their families.

About 425 people were treated to free refreshments and chances at a pick-a-prize auction with goodies from local sponsors. The organization also was offering discounts on its fitness memberships as part of the one-day celebration.

“It was a day to let the community know about all we offer and a way to say ‘Thank you’ for keeping us here for 100 years,” said Judy Ventresca, the FCCA’s executive director.

The organization’s roots go back to May 1914 when it was founded as the Young Women’s Christian Association of Meadville. It changed its name to the Family & Community Christian Association, or FCCA, in 2009.

Among its functions, the FCCA administers grants funding Child Care Information Service of Crawford County; Twin Creeks Head Start, a comprehensive child development program for children ages 3 to 5; and RSVP, the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, as well as FCCA childcare and FCCA fitness programs.

The association also sponsors free community Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, the Martin Luther King Dinner and Program, and other events.