CNS - Free preschool will be offered to children living in foster and relatives’ homes in Los Angeles County, said Los Angeles Universal Preschool officials. LAUP will offer the free service to any child in foster care or who lives with relatives other than their birth parents, when they turn 4 years old by Dec. 2 of the preschool program year, according to an LAUP statement.

“Foster kids tend to have more serious and complex health, mental and developmental problems than the general population,” said Relda Robertson- Beckley, vice president of Program Planning and Development for LAUP.

“By enrolling them in high-quality preschools, we are giving these children a better start in life that will likely help them to succeed in school and throughout their adulthood,” she said.

As part of the program, foster parents and other caregivers with children enrolled at LAUP preschools will be offered child-rearing training and support. At the moment, 18 percent of eligible foster children in Los Angeles County attend preschool, while 73 percent of publicly funded preschools in the county have waiting lists, according to LAUP.

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