We have received notice from the Valley of the Sun United Way (VSUW) that allocated funding for First Things First Emergency Scholarships is being used at a higher rate than expected in several regions. This includes the Southeast Maricopa region of Mesa, Gilbert and Queen Creek. As a participant in the program, The Sycamore School has been informed that as of July 1 we can not offer scholarships to any additional families. In addition, if any of our current participants leaves the program we cannot replace them with another family.
The original FTF emergency scholarship program was intended to be for four months ending this July. Due to the severe need in the community the program was later extended with a goal of continuing into 2010. It now appears that this will not be possible in our region and several others.
VSUW has stated "We are committed to providing participating child care providers with notice of funding availability so that both providers and families can plan and prepare to transition off this program."