CIHS Receives $4.7 Million Grant For Children with Special Needs Project

The First 5 California Children and Families Commission has announced the selection of the California Institute on Human Services of Sonoma State University as the recipient of its Special Needs and Coordination Project. CIHS will receive $4,750,000.

Under this five-year project, CIHS will be responsible to assist the Commission in designing and implementing a statewide research and demonstration program for improving early childhood assessment and intervention services for young children (birth to five years old) with disabilities.

The Commission selected CIHS through a competitive process because of the Institute¹s extensive, nationally-recognized expertise in research-based training and technical assistance to early childhood programs and communities.

The Institute already has a number of significant projects underway in the area of early education including a $22.5 million program to provide training to Early Head Start Programs across the United States on appropriate practices with children with disabilities.

There are also several other multi-million dollar projects, funded by varied sources, to work with a large number of programs on the development and evaluation of young children¹s language and literacy skills.

The First 5 California Children and Families Commission was established through a voter referendum approved tax on tobacco products to fund programs that benefit children from birth to five years of age.

The Special Needs Project being undertaken by the Commission will build on the Commission's existing statewide early childhood literacy program by targeting research and development efforts on children with disabilities.

For more information contact Linda Brault at CIHS, (707) 664-2416.