More Than $1 Million Awarded to Los Angeles Nonprofits Early Education Programs Receive $521,000

Los Angeles — The California Community Foundation announced today that it has awarded $1,221,926 in grants to 10 Los Angeles nonprofit organizations.

The 10 grants are a part of the foundation's ongoing commitment to its "Nurturing Neighborhoods/Building Community" grantmaking initiative and fall into four categories: Early Education, Employment, Health and Neighborhood Revitalization. The grants range from $15,000 to $223,000.

A $223,000 grant to Families in Schools supports the Read With Me/Lea Conmigo program, allowing the organization to purchase book bag materials, create training materials and hire a consultant to develop a long-term fundraising plan.

"With new funding from the California Community Foundation, Families in Schools will be able to expand the Read With Me/Lea Conmigo program to additional schools in low-income areas," said Maria Casillas, president of Families in Schools.

Families in Schools' mission is to involve parents in the education of their children; it uses the Read With Me program to develop a culture of reading and literacy in low-income families by providing books, parent training and family reading experiences.

A recent MIT study found that the average middle-class Kindergarten student begins school having been read to for about 1,000 hours; that child’s low-income counterpart has been read to for only 25 hours

"Read With Me/Lea Conmigo is a great way for children to access books and to develop positive attitudes and good habits about reading that promote academic achievement in later years," said Casillas.

The Read With Me/Lea Conmigo program increases parent and child reading time for preschool, Kindergarten and first grade students by providing six books — three in English and three in Spanish — to families each week, sending them home in special backpacks that include parent tips to encourage reading routines.

Program evaluation results show an increase in the frequency and length of time that parents and children read together, as well as in children's reading and vocabulary skills.

Established in 1915, the California Community Foundation is one of the largest and most active philanthropic organizations in Southern California, with assets of more than $550 million.

The following is a list of grants made by the California Community Foundation:

Early Education

The Children's Collective, Los Angeles ($200,000)
This grant allows the organization to increase to full-time the hours of two child development specialists who provide special needs children ages three to five with personalized attention. The Children's Collective provides high quality educational and supportive services to more than 4,000 children and their families at 18 locations in South Los Angeles.

Families in Schools, Los Angeles ($223,000)
This grant supports the expansion of the Read With Me/Lea Conmigo program into new schools in low-income areas. Families in Schools works to involve parents in the education of their children; it uses the Read With Me program to develop a culture of reading and literacy in families by providing books, parent training and family reading experiences.

Jumpstart for Young Children, San Francisco ($50,000)
This grant supports a tutoring program that matches college students with early childhood centers in low-income Los Angeles communities. Established in 1993, Jumpstart for Young Children recruits and trains college students to tutor preschool-aged children who need to develop language, reading and social skills.

Urban Ministry of Los Angeles, Los Angeles ($48,000)
This grant benefits the APRENDAMOS (LET'S LEARN) program, an after-school program that serves low-income Kindergarten through third grade students by providing them with reading, math and arts programs, a computer lab and individualized homework assistance. Founded in response to civil unrest in 1992, the Urban Ministry of Los Angeles provides Pico-Union residents with opportunities for education, advancement and community improvement.

Employment

Children Today, Long Beach ($89,550)
This grant supports the expansion of a day care center serving homeless children ages two months to five years in the Long Beach area. Children Today was founded in 1998 to provide free child care for homeless families in the Long Beach area.

Chrysalis Center, Santa Monica ($175,000)
This grant provides support to the downtown Los Angeles office for employment services for homeless men and women. With offices in downtown Los Angeles, Santa Monica and the San Fernando Valley, Chrysalis provides employment training and opportunities to homeless men and women.

Health

Asian Pacific Health Care Venture, Los Angeles ($170,000)
This grant supports a diabetes chronic care treatment and management project serving Asian Pacific Islanders. Founded in 1986, Asian Pacific Health Care Venture offers bilingual and bicultural primary health care services, including maternal and family health, youth health and senior services, to low-income Asian and Pacific Islander (API) communities.

Partners In Care Foundation, Burbank ($150,000)
This grant provides support for a mobile health clinic serving uninsured and low-income members of the Antelope Valley community. Founded in 1999, the Partners in Care Foundation - formerly known as the Visiting Nurse Association of Los Angeles - sponsors research and programs that reach children coping with the death or illness of a family member, low-income families living in rural areas of the Antelope Valley in need of medical care and older adults in need of adult day care services.

University Muslim Medical Association (UMMA) Free Clinic, Los Angeles ($101,376)
This grant allows the clinic to hire a pediatrician to treat 2,600 patients. Originally established as a student organization for medical and graduate students at Charles R. Drew University and UCLA, the University Muslim Medical Association (UMMA) is a nonsectarian organization that operates a free clinic serving the low-income communities within South Los Angeles.

Neighborhood Revitalization

Upward Bound House, Santa Monica ($15,000)
This grant supports Family Place, a transitional housing program that pairs families with case managers who, along with the families, create a plan for the future based on employment, educational, financial, health care and housing needs. Established in 1990, Upward Bound House provides transitional housing and supportive services to homeless families with children and affordable housing for low-income seniors.