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Smart Beginnings Western Tidewater Wins $100,000 Grant |
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Written by Ellen Couch
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Monday, 30 August 2010 15:11 |
$100,000 Grant Awarded to Smart Beginnings Western Tidewater
Funds by Virginia Early Childhood Foundation Support Area’s Young Children
(August 2010) – Smart Beginnings Western Tidewater, a local collaborative coalition working to improve the quality of early education and care in the City of Franklin, as well as in Southampton and Isle of Wight counties, has received a significant grant of $100,000 from the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation (VECF), a public-private partnership headquartered in Richmond, Va.
Funds for this “Sustaining” grant will support the coalition’s ongoing efforts to build partnerships with business and community leaders and to increase public engagement about the importance of providing young children, ages 0-5, with quality early childhood experiences so they will be successful in school and in life. The grant also will be used to expand the use of the “Raising a Reader” program, to increase the number of children being screened for developmental delays and to expand home visiting services in the area.
Another focus of the VECF grant funds will be to increase the number of preschools and childcare centers participating in the Virginia Star Quality Initiative. This is a statewide system designed to help families make more informed choices when considering where to send their young children, for childcare and preschool. The VECF grant funding gives Smart Beginnings Western Tidewater the ability to provide these programs with intensive training and mentoring support designed to develop higher-quality learning experiences for young children.
“This tremendous investment by the VECF will be further increased by some matching funds from businesses and early childhood stakeholders in our region,” said Ellen Couch, Executive Director of Smart Beginnings Western Tidewater. “It’s exciting to collaborate with such a diverse cross-section of business and community leaders to give our future workforce the solid foundation that they deserve.”
The City of Franklin will serve as the fiscal agent for this grant, which will impact the lives of approximately 3,000 young children in the city and in Southampton and Isle of Wight counties, over the next two years.
“Smart Beginnings Western Tidewater has connected organizations serving young children and families in a significant way,” said Ann Vandervliet Stratton, Program Officer for the VECF. “Because of these new relationships and increased efficiencies, more chilren will be prepared for success in school. When a community strengthens the system of early childhood education and care, it transforms the economic vitality of the region.”
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About Smart Beginnings Western Tidewater: Smart Beginnings Western Tidewater is a partnership of public and private agencies, businesses, and individuals serving the City of Franklin, and Southampton and Isle of Wight counties, working to enhance the quality of services for the area’s young children. For more information, call (757) 562-8511.
About the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation: As an innovative leader in creating results-oriented initiatives and collaborative partnerships to help the Commonwealth’s young children achieve lifelong success, the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation acts as a catalyst for workforce development and economic prosperity. To learn more about the VECF and its many initiatives designed to transform future prospects for economic growth in Virginia, such as Smart Beginnings and the Virginia Star Quality Initiative, visitwww.smartbeginnings.org
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