TEMECULA - Even as the county-run Head Start preschool serving the area's neediest families prepares to shut down its Temecula program this week, there are still several options for families who can't afford to send their children to a private preschool.

This year, First 5 Riverside, which distributes tobacco tax funds to aid children ages 5 and younger, gave the Temecula Valley Unified School District a $500,000 grant to launch a family literacy program to teach parenting skills and help children get ready for kindergarten.

Officials say the new program is running on all cylinders and has plenty of room for more families.

The First 5 effort joined an 11-year-old, federally funded Even Start family literacy program that is also overseen by the Temecula school district. That program has space available and serves parents and their children.

Both programs run year-round and are meant to serve the area's low-income families.

Esmirna Valencia, Head Start director for the Riverside County Office of Education, which oversees the Temecula branch, said the need for the program was greater elsewhere.

She said Temecula's 32 spaces for children are moving to Hemet, San Jacinto and Jurupa.

The spaces are for "the neediest of the neediest," but a state-funded preschool in which families with more income are eligible, and a home-based program, will remain in Temecula, she said.

Meanwhile, the Temecula school district hopes to increase the participation in its free programs.

The Temecula First 5 Family Literacy Grant program has parents and children sign up to learn a variety of skills at once-a-week classes held at three schools in the district.

"A parent is a child's first and best teacher," said Marilyn Skrbin, coordinator for the district's family programs. "A child learns through play. That's what we do in family literacy, planned and purposeful play. While private preschool can be very expensive, this offers an alternative."

The weekly program is three hours long, with children and parents separated the first two hours.

While children experience a preschool atmosphere and are immersed in fun ways of learning and socializing, parents study issues such as parenting skills, how to get their children ready for kindergarten, how to get involved in a school, and community outreach opportunities, officials said.

In the last hour, children and parents are brought together for a time during which the children decide what fun academic activities they want to work on with their parents, officials said.

"(The adults) are very excited about parenting and to see the progress their children are making," said Sandra Arellano, a childhood education specialist.

Laura, a Temecula resident who is enrolled in the class with her 5-year-old son, said she's learned a lot from the program. She asked that her last name not be used.

"It's fantastic, and I hope more parents take advantage of it," she said. "They just teach you good, basic reminders of what we already know: redirecting a child's behavior; how to be a better parent; how to handle certain situations when they come up; how to build your child's confidence; how to be loving yet firm. … I would definitely recommend it to other people."

The federally funded Even Start program is conducted every day for 3 1/2 hours and is more "intense," Arellano said. It was the inspiration for the First 5 Riverside grant application, Skrbin said.

The Even Start program, housed at Temecula Elementary, focuses much more on adult literacy efforts than parenting skills, although it also does touch on the subject.

While the parents are studying, their children are put in a preschool environment, learning letters and numbers through engaging activities such as songs and arts and crafts.

Once a week, parents and their children also get together for academic fun time, like in the First 5 program.

To enroll in the First 5 program, a family must meet certain low-income criteria and live within the boundaries of either Vail, Sparkman or Temecula elementary schools - the district's three designated Title 1 schools because of the many low-income families living within their areas.

The Even Start program serves families throughout the district.

Low-income is defined by numerous factors, including household income, the number of people living in a home, whether or not the child has a disability, and the geographic location of the home, Skrbin said.

- Contact staff writer Jennifer Kabbany at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2625, or jkabbany@californian.com.

PRESCHOOL OPTIONS

For information about the Even Start family literacy program or the Temecula First 5 Family Literacy Grant program, call (951) 695-7153.