[Carbondale, CO] – The Manaus Fund has received an $80,000 Daniels Fund grant to support the Valley Settlement Project’s Early Childhood Education programs.
Valley Settlement Project (VSP) is a multigenerational program focused on school readiness, elementary school achievement, economic stability and community engagement for low income families who are not successfully settled or attached to the community in which they live. VSP works to support and empower these families through community organizing and partnerships with nonprofits and schools.
The Early Childhood Education program consists of multiple components which are aimed at zero to five year-olds and their parents. Each component fills gaps in service in the community in a population of young children who would otherwise have no preschool experience prior to kindergarten, and is designed to improve school readiness. Both generations are engaged and the programming is based on the belief that the family is the child’s first teacher. VSP works to build trusting relationships with families and to support the healthy development of their children. The goal is to increase school readiness through child-centered, bilingual programming, rich in language and social emotional experiences.
Twice weekly neighborhood based classes are held for infants to three year-olds in which parents and children come together to learn strategies that promote healthy development of their child well before preschool. Through the El Busesito (The Little Bus) high quality early childhood experiences are provided for three to five year-olds. Each program includes a parent support component focused on extending learning in the home. Training is also provided to neighborhood caregivers through Family, Friends, and Neighbors to increase the quality of experiences these young children are receiving while in care outside of their homes.
Morgan Jacober, VSP’s Program Director, says, “We are pleased to have a strong partner in the Daniels Fund as our early Child Education program is critical to the families we serve.”
We’re honored to have the Daniels Fund as a partner. With them we can continue to provide services that are integrated with the needs of the community,” said Jon Fox-Rubin, Executive Director.
Bill Daniels, a pioneer in cable television known for his kindness and generosity to those in need, established the Daniels Fund to provide grants and scholarships in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. For more information, please visit www.danielsfund.org.
For more information about The Manaus Fund and Valley Settlement Project, call (970) 963-0851 or visit www.manausfund.org.
About the Manaus Fund:
In 2005, The Manaus Fund was founded by local philanthropist, educator, rancher, photographer, and physicist, George Stranahan. George’s passion has always been social justice and his initial intention was to address inequities that he saw in the philanthropic world. The Manaus Fund is committed to social justice issues, particularly as related to low-income populations. Through community organizing, The Manaus Fund works to empower people to identify problems, set goals, and become effective leaders to achieve a more just society. Valley Settlement Project is a working model of this approach.
