The 2020 cohort of The 410, a Northern Kentucky giving circle hosted by Horizon Community Funds, has selected Learning Grove to receive its 2020 grant of $16,000 for their Young Families Program.
“Children and families are often hit much harder than other communities in a time of crisis,” said Horizon Community Funds President Nancy Grayson. “When you add hardships like past trauma and poverty to a family’s journey, it can be even harder to achieve success. Thank you to our members of The 410 for prioritizing early childhood in Northern Kentucky.”
The funds from this grant award will be used to support the home visitation program at Learning Grove, which serves 100 parents in Boone, Campbell, and Kenton counties who are expecting a child or who have recently had a child. Parents receive monthly visits from Learning Grove’s home visitors from the time they enroll until the child’s third birthday. During these visits, parents receive information on having a healthy pregnancy and delivery, educational opportunities to foster brain development for their child, and home visitors empower parents to be their child’s first teacher.
A Learning Grove family
Over the course of the last nine months, home visitors have had to severely modify how they deliver high quality services addressing family health and well-being while also supporting children’s development. The team’s creative approach includes gathering materials and dropping kits off to families that are then reviewed and discussed over the phone, via Zoom or FaceTime.
“Unfortunately, we are currently not able to be reimbursed for these drop off visits due to COVID-19 restrictions but because we know it is the right thing to do, we continued at our own cost,” said Learning Grove CEO Shannon Starkey-Taylor. “The 410 giving circle dollars means we may continue creating, nurturing, and promoting connections, and meeting on-going developmental needs of our families.”
The Young Families Program home visitation program serves 100 parents expecting a child or who have recently had a child. Young Families utilizes the Kentucky HANDS and Success by Six’s proven, results-driven model to ensure an optimal start in life physically, emotionally, and cognitively. The program provides support to parents during the first 1,000 days of their child’s life, the most critical in their development, as 80 percent of brain development occurs before the age of 3. Additionally, the program has been a successful factor in lowering the region’s high infant mortality rate.
The program seeks to ensure healthy births, promote optimal health and development, strengthen parent-child interactions, and help families build the tools for self-sufficiency. Participants are eligible for the program if they are experiencing poverty, past trauma, premature births, along with other risk factors.
The 2020 cohort of The 410 includes 40 emerging philanthropists from across Northern Kentucky who are passionate about exploring their potential for giving back with maximum impact in the community. Grant funds from The 410 are dedicated to nonprofit programs and resources that serve Boone, Campbell, and Kenton counties. To generate the grant, each member of The 410 commits a gift of $410. The giving circle operates once per year, in the fall.
“Cuts experienced by programs like Learning Grove’s Young Families Program have multiplied the pain caused by the pandemic,” said Ryan Salzman, member of The 410. “Bravo to The 410 for stepping up, and acting to alleviate that pain. By choosing Learning Grove, the members of The 410 have made it clear that Northern Kentucky children and families matter. I am confident that the actions of this group will sustain families through this hard time and help with the recovery to come.”
Additional information about The 410 can be found here. Information on the 2021 grant cycle will be announced in summer 2021.
