11.16.05

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                              
CONTACT: Bill Tinsley
VCU Partnership for People with Disabilities
E-mail: watinsley@vcu.edu
Phone: (804) 828-8243

VCU TO HELP PRESCHOOLS INCLUDE CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES

RICHMOND, Va. (Nov. 16, 2005) – Virginia Commonwealth University has received a grant to help Richmond area preschools and childcare centers include children with disabilities and developmental delays.

The three-year, $145,400 grant from the Jackson Foundation of Richmond will establish a “Preschool Inclusion Resource Center” that will train, mentor, support and provide technical assistance.

Based in the VCU School of Education’s Partnership for People with Disabilities, the Center will serve as a clearinghouse for resources, training, and technical assistance for childcare providers, families, and local school personnel working with children with disabilities.

“By providing the critical training and expertise that caregivers of children with disabilities need, the center will increase the capacity of childcare providers in Richmond to better meet the needs of children with disabilities and their families,” said Partnership executive director, Fred P. Orelove, Ph.D.

Research shows children with disabilities have more advanced social interactions and acquire stronger communication and developmental skills when they participate in early childhood education programs.

Through training and access to resources, childcare providers will benefit from an enhanced ability to serve all children.

“The Partnership for People with Disabilities has a long-term commitment to help children with disabilities acquire the skills they need to succeed in school and life,” said Orelove. “This grant gives us the capacity to help local child care professionals provide effective and inclusive services, particularly in low income areas.”

###

About VCU and the VCU Medical Center: Located on two downtown campuses in Richmond, Va., Virginia Commonwealth University is ranked nationally by the Carnegie Foundation as a top research institution and enrolls more than 28,500 students in more than 181 certificate, undergraduate, graduate, professional and doctoral programs in the arts, sciences and humanities in 15 schools and one college. Forty of the university’s programs are unique in Virginia, and 20 graduate and professional programs have been ranked by U.S. News & World Report as among the best of their kind. MCV Hospitals, clinics and the health sciences schools of Virginia Commonwealth University compose the VCU Medical Center, one of the leading academic medical centers in the country. For more, see www.vcu.edu .

SOE News

• More News
• Contact
  
  Mike Frontiero
  News Editor/Public Relations Director
  mdfronti@vcu.edu
  804.827.2415
  P.O. Box 842020
  Richmond, Va. 23284-2020