Executive summary the state of texas, county of hidalgo-RIO grande valley foster grandparents program (FGP project) is sponsored by the county of hidalgo community service agency located in…

Executive summary the state of texas, county of hidalgo-RIO grande valley foster grandparents program (FGP project) is sponsored by the county of hidalgo community service agency located in edinburg, texas. The primary focus area for the RIO grande valley-FGP project is education. The project will involve 42 unduplicated volunteers who will meet income eligibility guidelines and serve a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 40 hours weekly at $3.00 an hour. All returning volunteers will receive 40 hours of accrued leave annually. The volunteers will be able to use accrued leave hours for personal illness and family illness when needed. If the volunteers do not use their accrued leave within the grant year, they will receive the accrued leave at the end of the grant year. 100% of the 42 unduplicated volunteers will be placed in outcome based measures in head start programs. In the school readiness objective, the volunteers will provide service activities in social-emotional, language development, literacy and numeracy support to approximately 250 exceptional children who will participate in cncs supported early childhood education programs during the year. The goal is to engage 42 unduplicated volunteers to participate in direct service activities with youth before, during and after school activities in community sponsored programs within the geographic service area. The volunteers will be placed in early/head start, head start programs and early childhood school programs. The volunteers will serve exceptional children of low income families. The hidalgo county head start programs currently serves 3,690 of the neediest 3-5 year old in 40 centers. Willacy and cameron counties' head start programs serve 2,914 children 0-5 years in 35 centers. The FGP volunteers will help prepare children to enter kindergarten with essential developmental literacy skills and knowledge necessary to succeed. The cncs federal investment of $273,916 will be supplemented by $35,911 of non-federal resources by hidalgo county and the state of texas.