Collaborative for Children Receives $3.3 Million Grant from Harris County’s Early Childhood Impact Fund

Houston, TX 6/21/23 – Collaborative for Children, a leading non-profit organization dedicated to improving early childhood education, is thrilled to announce the receipt of a substantial grant award of $3,299,350 from Harris County’s Early Childhood Impact Fund. This transformative grant, entitled the Early Childhood Impact Fund, will support Collaborative for Children’s mission to enhance educational outcomes for children ages birth to five years.  Collaborative for Children will also collaborate with other key partners, including Kids Meals, Inc. and the Rupani Foundation.

The collaborative efforts between Harris County and Collaborative for Children will focus on implementing initiatives that strengthen child care centers accepting children on subsidy and located in vulnerable communities. Through a comprehensive three-pronged approach, this funding will directly impact Collaborative for Children’s 25 child care Centers of Excellence annually until 2025.

The three-pronged approach includes:

1. Business Training for Directors: Collaborative for Children will provide essential business training to child care center directors, equipping them with the instructional and business knowledge and skills necessary to run high-quality centers that foster school readiness.
2. Coaching for Teachers: By offering coaching, curriculum resources, and professional development scholarship opportunities, Collaborative for Children aims to enhance teachers’ instructional practices, creating an environment that nurtures children’s learning and development, leading to school-readiness outcomes.
3. Parental Empowerment: Collaborative for Children will empower parents by providing them with resources, guidance, and support to actively engage in their child’s early education journey, fostering age-appropriate, and culturally sensitive home-to-school teaching and learning.

This grant award marks the second cohort of recipients under the Early Childhood Impact Fund. The funding will be allocated towards four key priorities to build stronger child care centers for Houston’s earliest learners:

1. Supporting families in providing their young children with safe, stable, and nurturing relationships.
2. Providing child care providers with resources to address children’s behavioral health.
3. Supporting early childhood educators in implementing developmentally appropriate practices.
4. Improving the health and emotional well-being of parents, primary familial members, and child care staff.

Collaborative for Children is honored to be selected as a recipient of this grant and is committed to making a lasting impact on the lives of Houston’s youngest learners. By collaborating with Harris County, we will continue building Centers of Excellence to ensure children are prepared for a successful school journey and future.