When donors hear about nonprofit fundraising for scholarships they may think about higher education, but one initiative hopes to help give very young students access to preschool.

The First 5 Contra Costa commission recently received a grant worth $6.2 million for the next five years from the Homas J. Long Foundation.

The grant is to increase preschool access among low-income children in Contra Costa County, California. The grant from the Long Foundation will more than triple the number of qualified children receiving scholarships in 2010 in the F5CC's Preschool Makes a Difference program, according to the organization.

Sean Casey, executive director of F5CC, says that with the grant his organization will be able to help needy youth that otherwise would have not been preprepared for preschool.

"We're grateful for the Long Foundation grant because it allows us to increase access to quality preschool for the county's youngest and most vulnerable children," says Casey. "This funding will allow us the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of at-risk children and help get them on the right track."

The organization estimates that the average cost to send a child to preschool is $9,900 a year.