[Federal Register: October 5, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 192)]
[Notices]               
[Page 58225]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr05oc05-81]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families

 
Administration on Children, Youth and Families; Award 
Announcement

AGENCY: Administration on Children, Youth and Families.

ACTION: Award announcement.

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SUMMARY: The Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Child Care 
Bureau, herein announces an urgent grant award to the South Plains 
Community Action Association, Inc. (fiscal agent) on behalf of the 
South Plains Early Childhood Council (Local Council and Grantee), 
Levelland, Texas, in the amount of $99,999 for a project period of 12 
months. This urgent grant award will assist the Local Council in the 
emergency provision of child care and early learning opportunities to 
young children and their families who have been evacuated from 
Mississippi, Louisiana, and other parts of Texas due to Hurricane 
Katrina. This service area includes 13,575 square miles of the 
following counties: Bailey, Cochran, Crosby, Dickens, Floyd, Garza, 
Hale, Hockley, King, Lamb, Lubbock, Lynn, Motley, Terry, and Yoakum.
    The South Plains Early Childhood Council is well-situated 
geographically to provide the needed emergency services, and is well-
equipped in terms of program activities and cooperating agencies to add 
immediately and significantly to the child care and related service 
needs of the evacuee families. The Council is unique in that it serves 
such a large multi-county rural area that is receiving evacuees and 
because it has the existing organizational capacity to take the 
services directly to the rural communities using the FROG bus [Fun 
Reading on the Go]. This is especially important since the majority of 
evacuees have no personal form of transportation and public 
transportation is limited in this rural area.
    This emergency grant award will provide early learning 
opportunities, early literacy activities, and mental health support to 
children under the age of five years, their parents/guardians, 
caregivers, and child care providers. Young children currently residing 
in shelters will be given age- and culturally-appropriate books and 
will receive supplemental supportive educational and social activities 
from staff trained in early childhood. Young children and their 
parents/guardians will also be provided with mental health supports by 
appropriately trained staff to support the children's social and 
emotional development, and to promote effective parenting.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carol Gage, ELOA Project Officer, at 
(202) 690-6243.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This award will be made pursuant to Pub. L. 
106-554, Early Learning Opportunities Act.

    Dated: September 27, 2005.
Joan E. Ohl,
Commissioner, Administration on Children, Youth and Families.
[FR Doc. 05-19911 Filed 10-4-05; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4184-01-P