San Leandro Library and Recreation and Human Services Awarded First 5 Grant

Mayor Stephen Cassidy and the San Leandro City Council have announced that First 5 Alameda County awarded the City’s Public Library and Recreation and Human Services Departments with a $95,000 grant.

The grant money will provide free, bilingual early literacy and school-readiness opportunities for children ages zero to five and their families in the neighborhoods near San Leandro’s Washington and Jefferson Elementary Schools.

"We want each child in San Leandro to reach her or his full potential.  We are delighted to receive this grant to assist our Spanish-speaking parents in laying a strong foundation for the success of their children when they enter elementary school," stated Mayor Cassidy.

The new Spanish language programs will include story times for babies and toddlers at the Main and South Branch libraries, and Play & Learn preschool programs at Halcyon Park Kiddie Kollege and the Main Library. The Library and Recreation departments are currently developing these new programs with a planned launch in November or December of 2013.

For more information about these exciting new programs, please contact Kelly Keefer at (510) 577-3954 or Dena Justice at (510) 577-3473.  To be kept informed as new details about these programs become available, community residents may also send an email to spanishprograms@sanleandro.org.