Ossining Schools Receive Grant to Help New Parents

The Ossining School District was recently awarded a $26,875 New York State Birth through Five grant to distribute “Baby Bundles” to new parents, including books, brochures, a tote bag and helpful resources for families with young children.

The New York State Council on Children and Families, part of the state Office of Children and Family Services, on Wednesday announced a total of $330,059 to Ossining and 10 other local agencies and nonprofits. The funding was awarded under a federal grant aimed at strengthening New York’s early childhood system.

The district will distribute the bundles through its First Steps/Primeros Pasos Early Literacy Program. First Steps serves Ossining families with children from birth to 4 through weekly family literacy programming, a play group for 3-year-olds, and a nursery school program for 60 4-year-olds.

“This grant will allow the school district, together with other Ossining agencies that are part of the Ossining Basics network, to connect with families of newborns to offer services that meet family needs, promote healthy development of young children and offer early literacy experiences that prepare their children for school entry,” said Nancy de la Cruz-Arroyo, director of ENL, Bilingual and Funded Programs for the district.

Some of the items that will be included in each “Talking is Teaching” bag are a children’s board book; parent guides on “Starting Life Together” and early childhood services in the state; and brochures and other resources on what to do when a child is sick, early hearing screening and other topics.

Early childhood development is critical in determining future outcomes and accomplishments, Office of Children and Family Services Commissioner Sheila Poole said in announcing the grants. “The Baby Bundles provide a wealth of state and local resources right at a parent’s fingertips,” she said.

The bundles will provide guidance and information to help parents make the best decisions for their families, said Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, co-chairwoman of the New York State Child Care Availability Task Force. “We want to make sure that parents have the resources they need to care for their children and help to ensure healthy and positive growth and success in the future,” she said.

In Ossining, the funding will go toward the work of a Guidance Center of Westchester behavioral health and parent engagement specialist for home visits and bundle distribution; a community outreach worker from First Steps/Primeros Pasos to identify eligible families and conduct home visits; and printing Ossining Basics brochures on early literacy development to include with the bundles.

The district, town and village governments and community organizations launched the Ossining Basics initiative four years ago to boost early learners’ language and literacy skills so they arrive at school ready to learn. The Ossining Basics, which is modeled after the Boston Basics, promotes five evidenced-based and caregiving principles to encourage engagement and learning for youngsters, including “Talk, Sing and Point” and “Read and Discuss Stories.”