Outdoor play will be transformed for children enrolled at Grace’s Place child care center in Plano thanks to a $5,000 grant from the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley.
Grace’s Place preschool in Plano, is a founding member of the new Early Childhood Education Shared Services Alliance with centers in Will and Kendall Counties. They enroll children from age six weeks to twelve years old, serving 76 children, most from families who have limited incomes and thus are eligible for child care assistance. Because Grace’s Place had kept the tuition as low as possible, there hasn’t been any way for them to upgrade their outside playground and while it is a large outdoor space, there are only a few activities for the children and no climbing structures, etc.
The Community Foundation’s $5,000 grant for new playground equipment will be used to purchase climbing structures, scooters, bicycles and equipment for ball games. The preschool staff and families are so excited! Research tells us that quality outdoor experiences promote happy, healthy children as well as supporting all domains of development — physical, social, emotional, language and cognition.
About the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley
The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley is a non-profit, tax-exempt, philanthropic organization that administers individual charitable funds from which grants and scholarships are distributed to benefit the citizens of the Greater Aurora Area, the TriCities and Kendall County, Illinois. Founded in 1948, the Foundation provides a simple and powerful approach to charitable giving. Individuals, families, businesses and organizations have the opportunity to custom design their own named funds that reflect their charitable goals and interests. Since its inception, the Community Foundation has grown to nearly $79 million in assets and has awarded more than $60 million in grants and scholarships. For more information on the Foundation, visit www.CommunityFoundationFRV.org.
About Grace’s Place Plano, see http://gracesplacechildcare.com/plano/
About the Early Childhood Education Shared Services Alliance, see www.Childcarehelp.com or contact Chris Bzdon at cbzdon@childcarehelp.com