Cooper Foundation Helps to Fill the Financial Gap

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Thank you, Cooper Foundation, for approving Willard's grant request of $15,000 in support of filling the financial gap for low-income families. 

Our goal of serving all children remains at the forefront. We want to continue to accept all children within our capacity, thus not limiting the number of low-income children we enroll. To do this, we must secure funding to fill the gap between what we receive for their care and our normal full charge from private and local funders and grantors. Our aim to stay financially sound and be a good steward of our funds remains crucial so that we can keep serving this area of Lincoln through our excellent childcare and educational programs. Children from poverty-level households suffer due to stress and other factors. Enrichment activities are essential to our students and help offset these stressors. We provide a safe, supervised, and structured environment conducive to learning and fun. Our programs address our children's physical, mental, and emotional needs. By working with children, we also work with their families and other adults. Our services effectively address the effects of chaotic home lives and/or trauma in which some of our children live. Our children have loving parents, but poverty introduces stressors and situations under which children who lack coping skills or resilience fail to thrive. Lincoln's racial and ethnic minority children and children living in poverty have lower educational achievement and attainment.

All families need and deserve quality, affordable childcare so their children can succeed in school and become responsible, caring adults. Willard must continue providing these programs. We must build on our investments in early and school-age youth to create an educated future workforce for Lincoln. Our families depend on us for safe, stable childcare.

We are grateful for Cooper Foundation's support!