Grantees

This grant will provide parent education and individualized support opportunities with the goal of increasing parental involvement in their child's education, thus improving Kindergarten Readiness.

Purchase additional learning equipment and resources to update the program.

LCP employs a cooperative model where parents of the children enrolled take an active role in the school’s management and upkeep. This helps families and the school build community while keeping costs down for everyone involved, but it also means that we rely on donations and grants for equipment and upkeep. Given our area's recent wet winters and rainy springs, an emerging and intensifying need is outerwear & gear to keep our students and teachers warm and dry outside. This will allow our classes to spend more play and learning time outdoors in less-than-ideal weather as opposed to cooping them up indoors for large chunks of the season. We also believe that providing this weather equipment at the school will benefit the students whose families may be unable to provide such clothing themselves.

Springfield Area Parent Child Center (SAPCC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing a wide range of community services to residents of Southern Windsor and Northern Windham Counties. At the heart of our organization is PlayWorks Child Center which aims to provide children with a nurturing environment in which to grow and learn. With this funding, SAPCC will purchase a “Smart Board” for the PlayWorks preschool classroom. A smart board is an interactive display used by educators to whiteboard project lesson materials, play videos, and give presentations. The advantages of smart boards in the classroom are multifaceted and transformative for engaging students in dynamic learning experiences and fostering collaboration.

Equipment grant for preschool materials

Reading to Infants for a Healthy Start, is a program created to support parents in caring for babies from birth forward. The two high quality board books, "Sleep Baby: Safe and Snug" and "Calm Baby Gently," will be distributed to all new parents. The first book, "Sleep Baby: Safe and Snug" will be distributed at Birthing Units and from midwives to promote safe sleep practices through pictures and words, decreasing the likelihood of parents rolling over on babies during sleep. Secondly, "Calm Baby Gently" will be distributed at the time of the two week check up at Pediatric offices, Family Practices and Wellness Centers. This book is written not only to be read to infants but also to help parents learn how to safely calm baby.

Support a Prevention Coordinator who is responsible for delivering prevention and wellness programs to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender questioning and allied youths ages 22 and under with the goal of reducing substance abuse among queer youth.

They wish to be the prevention part of Project Vision in Rutland, specifically to educate youth in the Rutland area about alcohol, drugs and risky relationship behavior