United Way of Santa Fe County Receives Too Small to Fail Grant

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: September 20, 2017
Contact: Abby Bordner
Cell: (505) 919-9153
Email: abigailb@uwsfc.org

United Way of Santa Fe County Receives Too Small to Fail Grant.
UWSFC awarded a prestigious grant from Too Small to Fail to implement a program called STRIVE for 5

Santa Fe, NM – One of Five United Way’s to receive the grant nationwide, United Way of Santa Fe County will implement STRIVE for 5, a hands-on bilingual (English/Spanish) program designed to provide early educators instant tools and ideas to promote children’s language development and improve the quality of early learning environments.

The goal of STRIVE for 5 is to equip early educators with concrete resources to support the growth and development of young children from infancy to age five—along with hands-on materials and strategies to engage parents and families. United Way of Santa Fe County will train staff to deliver STRIVE for 5 to early childcare providers.

United Way of Santa Fe County will incorporate this new program into the Family, Friends and Neighbors Program for childcare providers working with children under 5 years old. The STRIVE for 5 program provides key information and tools to help educators create a vocabulary-rich early learning environment and enrich daily moments with activities like talking, reading, and singing. The STRIVE for 5 initiative aligns with United Way of Santa Fe County’s mission that all children succeed in school and life.

“This program will help our Spanish speaking community embrace literacy. We work with care providers who will be able to implement this high-quality program with the children in their care. We are thrilled to be the recipients of this grant because it’s so relevant to the work we do.” Katherine Freeman, CEO, United Way of Santa Fe County.

“We know millions of children spend a significant amount of time outside the home in formal and informal education and care settings. There is a clear opportunity and need to provide early educators with innovative tools to create a nurturing and stimulating environment to promote early language development,” said Patti Miller, Director of Too Small to Fail.

UNITED WAY OF SANTA FE COUNTY BACKGROUND

Early childhood education and care is the sole mission of United Way of Santa Fe County, with a commitment to ensuring that every child receives an opportunity to succeed in school and in life. UWSFC is committed to engaging the entire community, bringing together people and resources to create opportunities for children and families to achieve their dreams and aspirations.

Beginning in 2004, UWSFC has served approximately 6,000 families by using a two-generation approach, supporting both the children and families in a series of high-quality early childhood programs designed to prepare children to enter kindergarten ready to succeed.

To learn more please visit www.uwsfc.org.