WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced a big step forward in securing funds in the federal checkbook for CentroNía and the Latin American Youth Center’s Maryland Multicultural Youth Centers, which provide critical services to Maryland’s Hispanic community. The funding Senator Mikulski has requested for these projects has been approved by the Appropriations Committee leadership. In the next step of the Appropriations process, the funds will be considered by the full Senate in votes that have not yet been scheduled.

The Appropriations Committee leadership has approved Senator Mikulski’s request for $500,000 for CentroNía. Located in Takoma Park, CentroNía provides quality early education to low-income families and has a strong track record as an early childhood teacher training center. The funding Senator Mikulski has requested will allow CentroNía to expand its full-day pre-K to serve more families in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties and will also enable CentroNía to continue its exemplary teacher training program for early educators.

“CentroNía provides a critical service to Hispanic families whose first language is not English by offering quality bilingual early education to children,” Senator Mikulski said. “Forty percent of English language learners are not considered fully-ready for school when they enter kindergarten. By increasing the numbers of slots in their exemplary Pre-K program, and expanding their teacher-training program, this funding will help put early English language learners on the path to school-readiness.”

The Appropriations Committee leadership has also approved Senator Mikulski’s request for $750,000 for the Latin American Youth Center. The Latin American Youth Center’s Maryland Multicultural Youth Centers assist in the prevention and intervention of gang violence for more than 1,000 at-risk children, teens and young adults in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties. The funding Senator Mikulski has requested will be used to expand the Centers’ programs for drug prevention and treatment, family support and counseling, after-school tutoring and mentoring, GED classes and college preparation, and workforce training.

“People come here from all over the world, to build a better life,” Senator Mikulski said. “They celebrate their common patriotism and love of family as well as their unique cultural differences. This funding is a federal investment in keeping this area strong and to thriving, to prevent lost youth, lost opportunity. We can’t afford to lose anyone to gang violence, youth crime or drug use.”