Scottdale Early Learning, Inc. (scottdale.org), which serves children age six weeks to five years old from low and moderate income families, has received two significant financial grants. The first, awarded last week, is a $35,000 grant from the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta to support Scottdale’s overall mission of educating children and strengthening their families. The second is a $15,930 grant from Target and national non-profit KaBOOM! for an Imagination Playground in a Cart™, an innovative playground equipment system that encourages creativity, communication and collaboration in play, along with accompanying teaching materials.
“We are extremely gratified by the support of the Community Foundation, as well as from Target and KaBOOM!,” said Maryum C. Lewis, executive director of Scottdale Early Learning, Inc. “The Community Foundation grant was extremely competitive, involving a detailed application, review process, site visits and research into our programming, strategic planning and board engagement. The grant will be used to support our flagship programs, including the Scottdale School, Parents as Teachers Program (PAT) and the Clarkston READY School, a free, half-day early learning and family engagement program for Arabic speaking children age 3-4 in the Clarkston, Georgia area.”
“By awarding this grant, we recognize that Scottdale Early Learning, Inc. is working hard to address critical needs in our region,” said Alicia Phillip, president of the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta. “Our due diligence process ensures that the nonprofits receiving grants conform to best practices and strong operating procedures.”
“The Target and KaBOOM! grant will allow us to augment our existing playgrounds to give our children access to enhanced learning opportunities through imaginative play,” said Lewis. “The Imagination Playground in a Cart™ includes a collection of custom-designed, oversized blue foam parts that allow the children to build and re-build their own play spaces. Numerous studies have shown that unstructured, child-directed play helps children develop physically, emotionally, socially and intellectually, yet today’s kids have less time and fewer opportunities to play than any previous generation. We are very appreciative of Target’s ongoing efforts to help make wellness more affordable and accessible, and we are excited to incorporate this new learning environment into our programs.”
About Scottdale Early Learning, Inc.
Founded in 1977 in DeKalb County’s historic Scottdale community, Scottdale Early Learning, Inc. (formerly Scottdale Child Development and Family Resource Center) is a 501(c)3 early care and educational organization serving low and moderate income families. Its mission is to enhance the total development of children from six weeks old to age 5, and strengthen their families and communities. The Center is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the nation’s leading organization of early childhood professionals, and focuses on developing young children’s social, emotional and physical skills, along with pre-reading language and literacy skills and pre-math. For more information, visit scottdale.org.
About the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
Since 1951, the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta has been connecting the passions of philanthropists with the purposes of nonprofits doing that work. With 65 years serving the 23-county Atlanta region and a robust team of experts, the Community Foundation manages the behind-the-scenes details, empowering our donors to focus on the joy of giving. The Community Foundation is a top-20 community foundation nationally with approximately $900 million in current assets and is Georgia’s second largest foundation. Through its quality services and innovative leadership on community issues, the Foundation received more than $113 million from donors in 2015 (unaudited) and distributed more than $139 million that same year to support nonprofits throughout the region and beyond. In 2016 Charity Navigator named the Community Foundation a four-star rated nonprofit, its top distinction. For more information, visit cfgreateratlanta.org or connect with the Foundation via Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
About Target
Minneapolis-based Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) serves guests at 1,792 stores and at Target.com. Since 1946, Target has given 5 percent of its profit to communities, which today equals more than $4 million a week. For more information, visit Target.com/Pressroom. For a behind-the-scenes look at Target, visit Target.com/abullseyeview or follow @TargetNews on Twitter.
About KaBOOM!
KaBOOM! is the national non-profit dedicated to bringing balanced and active play into the daily lives of all kids, particularly those growing up in poverty in America. Since 1996, KaBOOM! has collaborated with partners to build, open or improve nearly 16,000 playgrounds, engaged more than one million volunteers and served 7.4 million children. KaBOOM! creates great places to play, inspires communities to promote and support play, and works to drive the national discussion about the importance of play in fostering healthy lives and communities. To learn why #playmatters, visit kaboom.org or join the conversation on Twitter (@kaboom) and Facebook (kaboom).
