The welfare of our region is directly tied to the success of our children.  We believe that investing in the development and enrichment of our youngest citizens can lead to a rich culture and economy.

As we learn more about how pre-school can improve educational outcomes, universal access to early learning opportunities continues to gain momentum. Advancement in early learning will largely depend on strong partnerships between the policy, education, business, philanthropic, and nonprofit communities, as well as efforts to create and maintain accessible and high quality programs.  

Questions we aim to answer through our Early Learning initiative include:

• What are barriers to expanding early learning opportunities?
• What can be done to improve assessment of students at such an early age?
• What are the next steps in building greater public demand for early learning?

Currently, grant investments through our Early Learning initiative focus on promoting regional infrastructure and leadership, influencing legislation that increases early learning opportunities, and supporting the development and expanded use of academic assessment methods. The Foundation also supports strategies that enhance public understanding of the need for high- quality early learning programs.

For information on projected 2008 funding opportunities in the Early Learning initiative and our other program grant areas, visit the Guidelines page.