United Way of Central Indiana awards Literacy Matters grants to 51 child care providers, elementary schools
United Way of Central Indiana announced this week that it is awarding about $228,000 to 51 child care providers and elementary schools to support literacy initiatives for students and families.
The Literacy Matters grants will go to 27 child care providers and 24 elementary schools in Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Marion and Morgan counties. The mini grants are awarded in amounts up to $5,000 each and can be used to fund new or existing literacy programs, projects or events.
The mini grants were developed out of the coronavirus pandemic, and this is the third year United Way has awarded them.
Julie Kilger, United Way’s K-12 initiatives senior manager, said the grants were created to meet a need: Schools and early child care centers said they wanted to bring innovative programming to their families, but it’s often cost-prohibitive. An infusion of $5,000 can help those programs get off the ground, Kilger said.
Some examples of how the mini grants will be used:
SENSE charter school in Indianapolis will use the funding to help bring back its Latino family literacy program, La Lectura. The 10-week bilingual program helps parents learn early literacy skills and is meant to bring reading into the daily family routine.
Purpose of Life Academy in Indianapolis, where 95% of families are African American or Latino, plans to use the grant to expose students to African American authors, characters and history. Students will be provided with a book monthly that will be read and discussed in class and at home. Grandparents and African American leaders also will be brought in to read as part of the initiative.
Harris Elementary School in Greenfield will combine literacy with Greenfield-Central Schools’ STEM initiative. As part of this effort, students will take home books and STEM projects to read and complete with their families.
Applications were open to Title I elementary schools and Paths to Quality Levels 1-4 child care providers in United Way’s seven-county service area. A group of 14 people – including United Way staff, board members, donors and parents from the community – reviewed applications and awarded the grants.
Kilger said there has been an increased interest in the grants: 26 schools and child care centers applied last year; more than 50 applied this year.