McCormick Foundation Invests Over $6 Million in Early Care and Education
Grants reflect expanded age range for critical early learning
CHICAGO, July 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The McCormick Foundation Board of Directors has approved more than $6.3 million over two years in grants to 21 organizations committed to improving early care and education for at-risk children in Illinois. These additional grants signal an expanded focus for the Foundation on building a statewide system of quality early care and education for all Illinois children ages birth to eight. Increasingly, experts say that the first two years of primary school are vital in ensuring that the benefits of early care and education continue.
"While we recognize that learning is a continuum, we know our current education system is not – it is a series of silos each with its own delivery system, funding stream, governing laws and regulations," said Sara Slaughter, education program director of the McCormick Foundation. "The Foundation's expanded focus from birth to age eight will look across these delivery systems to work toward a unified system to ensure continuous, quality education for our youngest learners."
To date, the McCormick Foundation has invested more than $90 million to address the complexities of early care and education in Illinois. The Foundation supports quality enhancement activities through our three funding priority areas including public policy, public awareness and building quality infrastructure. The continued development of these three areas in a comprehensive approach ensures more children will have access to a quality education.
"Years of research show that early childhood development heavily influences a lifetime of health, education and economic outcomes for individuals," said David Hiller, president and CEO of the McCormick Foundation. "Our grantee partners are helping provide more children in Illinois with access to high-quality early learning programs that will make a real difference in their lives."
In line with its new direction, the McCormick Foundation has granted $500,000 to the University of Illinois at Chicago. The two-year grant will document lessons learned in implementing early childhood modules into its existing principal preparation program and help communicate these lessons to other institutions of higher education as programs respond to new state legislation requiring program re-design. The McCormick Foundation will grant $360,000 over a two-year period to Illinois State University. The grant will conduct a best practices study and provide training to strengthen connections between early learning and K-12 leaders. In addition, the University of Chicago received $209,000 to support the communication of Nobel Prize winner and Professor James Heckman's early care and education research, emphasizing that early investments in education yield a high rate of return. The Foundation also granted $450,000 to the Erikson Institute. The two-year grant funds a study designed to analyze current practices and policies in dual language learners in the Chicago Public Schools preschool programs. A complete list of grants can be found at the Foundation's website at McCormickFoundation.org.
Public Awareness |
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1. Kohl Education Foundation, Glenview, IL |
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$83,000 |
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For support of the 2011 Kohl McCormick Early Childhood Teaching Awards and the Kohl McCormick Academy of Outstanding Teachers |
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2. University of Chicago, Chicago, IL |
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$209,000 |
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For the continued support of Professor James Heckman's research and to shape and adapt communications strategies and resources for state-specific use in Illinois |
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TOTAL - $292,000 |
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Public Policy |
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3. Illinois Action for Children, Chicago, IL |
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$550,000 |
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To support Illinois Action for Children's public policy work |
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4. Advance Illinois, Chicago, IL |
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$150,000 |
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For early care and education focus within its broad agenda of advancing policies and best practices in the field of education |
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5. Latino Policy Forum, Chicago, IL |
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$130,000 |
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To support Latino Policy Forum's public policy work |
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6. Ounce of Prevention Fund, Chicago, IL |
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$550,000 |
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To support Ounce of Prevention Fund's public policy work |
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7. Sargent Shriver Center on Poverty Law, Chicago, IL |
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$80,000 |
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For the support of the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law's continuing work to expand low-income families' access to quality care and education programs |
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8. Voices for Illinois Children, Chicago, IL |
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$550,000 |
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For general operating expenses relating to public policy for its early care and education agenda in Illinois |
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TOTAL - $2,010,000 |
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Building A Quality Infrastructure |
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9. Birth to Five Policy Alliance, Washington D.C. |
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$250,000 |
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To support a series of activities designed to maintain policies and practices necessary for quality early childhood systems |
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10. City Colleges of Chicago, Chicago, IL |
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$85,000 |
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To continue work aimed at strengthening City Colleges of Chicago's associate's degree curriculum and increasing the quality of their early childhood lab centers |
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11. Columbia College of Chicago, Chicago, IL |
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$400,000 |
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For Reflective Learning in Action Project Model, a professional development program for middle-management professionals from ten community-based organizations providing Head Start services |
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12. Erickson Institute, Chicago, IL |
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$450,000 |
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To conduct a study designed to analyze current practices and policies that support dual language learners in CPS preschool programs |
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13. Illinois Network for Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, Bloomington, IL |
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$500,000 |
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To further develop and support statewide professional development systems |
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14. Illinois State University, Normal, IL |
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$360,000 |
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To conduct a best practices study and to provide training to strengthen connections between early learning and K-12 leaders |
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15. Loyola University Chicago (CURL), Chicago, IL |
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$420,000 |
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To support continued and expanded work on the McCormick Foundation's Initiative for the Professional Development of Childcare Educators |
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16. MDRC, New York, NY |
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$123,000 |
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For continued support for analysis and dissemination of findings from the Foundations of Learning Project in Illinois |
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17. National-Louis University, Glenview, IL |
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$500,000 |
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For general operating support for the McCormick Center for Early childhood Leadership's Policy and Research Initiative |
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18. Positive Parenting DuPage, Villa Park, IL |
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$241,000 |
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For the first phase of developing early learning standards for the birth-to-three age period |
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19. Teach for America, Chicago, IL |
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$130,000 |
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To support a cohort of preschool teachers who are placed in early childhood programs in Chicago |
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20. University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL |
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$500,000 |
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To support the redesign of the University of Illinois (UIC) Principal Preparation Program to include early childhood and communication of the lessons learned |
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21. Women's Business Development Center, Chicago, IL |
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$75,000 |
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To support the Childcare Business Program (Business Program) and the Eleventh Annual Childcare Business Exposition (Expo) which will be held in May 2011 |
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TOTAL - $4,034,000 |
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GRAND TOTAL - $6,336,000 |
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About the McCormick Foundation
The McCormick Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to strengthening our nation's civic health by creating educated, informed and engaged citizens. Through its grantmaking programs, Cantigny Park and Golf, and museums, the Foundation helps build citizen leaders and make life better in our communities. The Foundation was established as a charitable trust in 1955, upon the death of Colonel Robert R. McCormick, the longtime editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune. The McCormick Foundation is one of the nation's largest charities, with more than $1 billion in assets. For more information, please visit www.McCormickFoundation.org.
SOURCE McCormick Foundation
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