The D. Paul Fansler Preschool in the Joyce M. Huggins Early Education Center at California State University, Fresno will be featured during a press conference by Preschool California on Tuesday, April 27, at 9 am.

The press conference will be held at the Huggins Center, Room 54, located on the Atrium level of the Kremen Education Building (5005 N. Maple Ave). It precedes a daylong community forum being held at the university launching an effort to provide preschool education for all California’s children.

At the press conference, brief presentations to the media will be made by regional leaders on the educational, economic and social benefits of early childhood education.

Immediately following, the community leaders and news media will be able to tour the Fansler Preschool and view children engaged in early learning, including literacy development, early mathematics and problem-solving, science, art, music and physical activities.

The forum, the first of six regional forums scheduled statewide, follows at the Residence Dining Facility.

Local co-hosts of the forum are Fresno County First 5 Commission; Merced County First 5 Commission; Fresno County Sheriff Pierce; Bakersfield Police Chief Matlock; Merced County Supt of Schools Lee Andersen; and Carol Whiteside, president of the Great Valley Center.

See media advisory previously sent by Preschool California or view it at www.FresnoStateNews.com.

MEDIA PARKING: Use driveway in front (east) of Kremen Education on Maple Avenue or the sidewalk behind (north side of) Kremen. University parking officers will be present to direct media vehicles. Please use caution as those areas are used by parents to drop off children for the preschool or are heavy with student traffic.

BACKGROUND: – The D. Fansler Preschool and the School-Age Program are fully accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Accredited programs are committed to meeting national standards for program quality in early childhood education (ECE). More than 70 children, ages three to five years, mainly the children of students having financial needs, are enrolled at the Fansler Preschool A full inclusion program for preschoolers with special needs is also offered in collaboration with the Fresno Unified School District (FUSD).

The mission of the Fansler Preschool is to be an exemplary model for innovative programming for young children and to offer the highest quality of ECE. One of the most significant findings of educational research is the importance of ECE and its positive impact on children’s later success in school. Through training teachers and others in human services professions, demonstration of innovative programs, curricula and resources, sponsoring professional development programs and conducting research relevant to ECE, the Fansler Preschool provides leadership for local and state educational reform efforts aimed at improving ECE and services to children and families.

The Huggins Center also sponsors a variety of professional development programs for early childhood educators in the region and state. The Huggins Center has been the recipient of numerous grants and awards for its innovative professional development programs. The newly established D. Paul Fansler Institute for Leadership in ECE Is developing additional professional development programs based on the Huggins Center model.

Contacts: Dr. Shareen Abramson — (559) 278-0226

Director – Joyce M. Huggins Early Education Center

Chair (Endowed) – D. Paul Fansler lnstitute for Leadership in Early Childhood Education