Unleashing Potential, formerly Neighborhood Houses, has received a $5,000 grant from Ameren Missouri to fund scholarships for families with children enrolled in the Early Childhood Education Center at Caroline Mission. The funds will help bridge the gap between what families can pay and the cost of care for five children.
“Of the 50 families who have children currently enrolled in the Early Childhood Education Center, 44% earn less than $20,000 annually, 15 of those families don’t have adequate housing, and 50% are female-headed households,” says Darlene Sowell, President and CEO of Unleashing Potential.
“Because our families most often work at low-paying jobs or attend school or job training programs, they cannot cover the full cost of care, which averages $8,139 per child,” says Sowell. “Unleashing Potential is thrilled to partner with Ameren Missouri to ensure that a high quality learning environment is accessible to St. Louis families who need it most.”
Children from distressed neighborhoods often lack access to high quality, early childhood learning environments putting them at higher risk of experiencing delays in language, math, cognitive, and social skills development. Studies show that the long-term benefits of early childhood education in young people, particularly those from low-income or high-risk backgrounds, who attended high-quality preschool programs were more likely to graduate from high school, own homes, and ultimately earn up to $2,000 more per month.
Unleashing Potential’s Early Childhood Education Center at Caroline Mission offers licensed and accredited education and care for children ages six weeks to five years old. The Center uses an evidence-based curriculum taught by dedicated, nurturing teachers who guide children as they begin to unleash their potential.
Unleashing Potential, formerly Neighborhood Houses, believes all children can reach their magnificent potential. The nonprofit organization, which dates back to 1913, provides educational and empowering experiences to help close the opportunity gap and offers a continuum of care designed to improve the quality of life for children and families in challenged, under-resourced communities. For more information about Unleashing Potential, please visit www.upstl.org.
