GRANTS AWARDED TO TWO BOONE COUNTY PRESCHOOL PROGRAMS
July 7, 2021 – Every year, the Boone County Preschool Fund, an endowment fund held at the Community Foundation of Boone County (CFBC), awards two grants: one to the Lebanon School District and one to the Western Boone School District.
For the 2020-2021 academic year, the Lebanon School District contracted with Mental Health America of Boone County for their preschool program called Young Scholars Preparatory Pre-K (YSPP). YSPP serves children who could be at risk for falling behind their peers and lacking in kindergarten readiness, with the goal of increasing early childhood quality and school readiness across LCSC. In ‘20-’21, YSPP served 34 children in three Lebanon elementary schools: Hattie B. Stokes, Perry Worth, and Harney. The CFBC grant funds in 2020-2021 were applied to tuition reduction scholarships. YSPP evaluates preschool participants on natural learning styles, detailed by specific strengths and weaknesses. For the ‘20-’21 cohort of children, all levels of cognitive, literacy, mathematics, oral language, social emotional, and physical development increased in the children.
The Western Boone School District had 56 children enrolled in its Community-Based Preschool for the 2020-2021 school year. WeBo’s preschool program gives all students a chance to develop appropriate social and emotional behaviors in a structured, supportive environment, that encourages creativity and builds strong academic foundations. 100% of grant funds from CFBC were applied to supplement the operational costs of the preschool program without increasing tuition costs and without turning any students away. For the ‘20-’21 cohort of children, all skill mastery levels, including uppercase and lowercase letter recognition, correct letter sounds, counting to 10 orally, and identifying basic shapes, increased at least 50%.
“The Community Foundation of Boone County is proud to play a role in helping our most precious asset – our children”, said Jodi Gietl, President & CEO for CFBC. “We are blessed and grateful to our donors, past and present, who are passionate about our youth and helping them succeed.”
To financially support the Boone County Preschool Fund, click here to give. CFBC has several endowed funds focused on youth and education. Visit our website to view the categories of our funds: https://communityfoundationbc.org/open-a-fund/. When you find a fund you want to financially support, click here to donate.
ABOUT THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF BOONE COUNTY
Since 1991, the Community Foundation of Boone County has granted over $26 million from its various funds to nonprofit organizations and programs working to solve critical challenges in Boone County. Through the generosity of donors, the Community Foundation currently holds over $27 million in net assets. In the past 30 years, we have worked with donors to create permanent funds for charitable giving. The establishment and growth of permanent endowment funds will strengthen Boone County for generations to come.