Preschool Referral Project

About the Program

Category: Children and Youth (Best in Category)

Year: 2013

The Preschool Referral Project (PRP) is an effective partnership between the County of San Bernardino Children and Family Services (CFS) Department and the County of San Bernardino Preschool Services Department (PSD). The focus of the program is placement stability, increased participation in preschool services and improved school readiness. All three and four year old foster children are referred from CFS to the Early Childhood Education (ECE) PSD programs. The child’s post-enrollment progress is tracked until they leave the program. PSD staff are co-located at each CFS regional office and assess each child’s developmental needs, and provide core preschool curriculum settings, services, supports, and interventions that are developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate for that child. Annual participation of foster care children in PSD Early Childhood Education programs has increased by over 200% since the inception of the project in 2010. Placement stability has increased each year of the program and school readiness developmental advances have been significant for children between the ages of 3-5 years old.