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Grants Support Early Childhood Education In Norwalk

NORWALK, Conn. -- State Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, has announced that five programs in Norwalk have been approved for state grants that fund facility improvements and capital repairs for school readiness programs and state-funded day care centers. 

Sen. Bob Duff has announced five programs in Norwalk that have been approved for state grants.

Sen. Bob Duff has announced five programs in Norwalk that have been approved for state grants.

Photo Credit: File

“This funding strengthens the providers and educators who make a real difference in the daily lives of our young children,” said  Duff. “Early childhood education is the foundation of a successful future, and these programs strive to provide that for all of Norwalk’s children.”

The funding for these programs, awarded through the State Department of Education and the Office of Early Childhood, was approved during a special meeting of the state Bond Commission on March 17. 

The Norwalk grants are for: 

  • Norwalk Community College, with 16 state-funded spaces, was awarded $61,740 for playground redesign/fencing/surfacing; and hallway and kitchen renovation.
  • The Marvin Children's Center -- Under One Roof, with 40 state-funded spaces, was awarded $91,626 for repurposing space, and main entrance and security upgrades.
  • Children's Playhouse -- Bouton Street, with 39 state-funded spaces, was awarded $70,822 for playground surfacing/fencing and equipment, and kitchen renovation.
  • Norwalk Housing Authority -- Nathaniel Ely Head Start, with 195 state-funded spaces, was awarded $94,862, for entrance and waiting area renovation.
  • Norwalk Housing Authority -- Ben Franklin Head Start, with 185 state-funded spaces, was awarded $46,362 for Toddle playground.

“This is a grant to remodel the Child Development Laboratory School kitchen, make some aesthetic improvements to the playground, and build an interior hallway between the lab school and our Discovery Room— an additional room where children have the ability to do large projects such as science experiments,” said Joan Parris, Norwalk Community College’s director of Early Childhood Community Education. Parris wrote the proposal for the grant and noted that the playground will be redesigned, and there will be improvements to the pavement and fencing. 

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