The United Way of the Wabash Valley has awarded over $6,000 through its latest cycle of open grants supporting early childhood literacy projects. Success By 6, an impact council of the United Way, mobilizes community resources to ensure that young children are provided with nurturing learning environments during the critical development years of birth to 6 to help prepare them for kindergarten.

The goal of the Success By 6 Grant Program for Early Childhood Literacy Projects is to provide funding to early childhood educators and child care providers for the purpose of conducting an experience that will nurture a love for reading and learning in young children (0 – 5) and their families.  The awards this year went to 7 organizations and will affect over 200 local children in our community.  Each grant program required an activity focused around a book(s) and each child must receive a copy of the book related to the activity, and it requires parent/family activities to be included in the event.  Each grant was a maximum of $1,000 each.

Holly Curtsinger, review team chairperson, stated, “One thing that stood out this year was the diversity among our applicant’s programs. We had a number of first-time applicants including Open Hands Preschool, a ministry of the Brazil First United Methodist Church in Clay County. Their “Down on the Farm” initiative focuses on literacy-based family engagement and community collaboration, both of which our committee is proud to support.”

The 2020 early childhood literacy grant recipients are:
CRADLES of Clay County – Brazil
Davis Park Elementary Title 1 Preschool
Hamilton Center Early Head Start
Karen’s Kids Unit 2
Open Hands Preschool in Brazil
Sprouts Child Care in West Terre Haute
Tender Moments Play House & Preschool

If you have any questions, please contact Mark Johnson, Community Impact Director, United Way of the Wabash Valley at 812.235.6287 or by e-mail at [email protected].