All parents hope their child will start school ready for success. Unfortunately, not every parent can find the high-quality early learning opportunity that sets their child up for success.

Earlier today the U.S. Department of Education released a new report outlining the unmet need for high-quality early learning programs in America. Roughly 6 in 10 four-year-olds are not enrolled in publicly funded preschool programs, and even fewer are enrolled in the highest quality programs.

Unmet Need

While both states and the federal government invest in early learning, these efforts have fallen short of what is needed to ensure that all children can access a high-quality early education that will prepare them for success.

Significant new investments in high-quality early education are necessary to help states, local communities, and parents close the readiness gap that exists between disadvantaged children and their more advantaged peers.

For Latino children, the unmet need is especially great. While Latinos are the fastest growing and largest minority group in the United States, making up a quarter of 3- and 4-year-olds, Latinos demonstrate the lowest preschool participation rates of any major ethnicity or race.

And while most children who have access to preschool attend moderate-quality programs, African- American children and children from low-income families are the most likely to attend low- quality preschool programs and are the least likely to attend high-quality preschool programs.

Source: blog.ed.gov

$50,000 Champions For Healthy Kids Grant
Foundation: Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi, General Mills Foundation

General Mills Foundation awarded a $50,000 Champions For Healthy Kids grant to the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi to be used to continue its preschool nutrition and physical activity...more

Lawrence Schools Foundation Awards Teacher Innovation Grants

Lawrence Schools Foundation has announced Teacher Innovation Grants totaling $24,391 which will fund innovative projects and programs. Some of the funded programs and projects are as follows:...more

Grants from McKnight Foundation
Foundation: Knight Foundation, McKnight Foundation

The Minneapolis and Brooklyn Center school districts will get grants recently announced by the McKnight Foundation, with about $3 million for each district to fund teacher training, individualized...more

Computers for Preschoolers
Foundation: Midland Area Community Foundation

Through Midland Area Community Foundation's Gladwin Youth Action Council grant, more than 100 preschoolers in four classrooms now have access to new computers. Each computer will have age...more

Free books help preschoolers
Foundation: Jackson Community Foundation

A 2-year-old community-funded program that helps preschool children get ready to read is reaching about 3,000 of Jackson County's 12,000 preschoolers. The Imagination Library provides preschoolers...more

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Largest Foundations by Assets for 2012

Want to find foundation giving by subject area? see here

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Foundation Giving by Subject Area

Arts and Culture | Education | Environment | Health | Human Services | International Affairs, Development, Peace and Human Rights | Public Affairs and Society Benefit | Religion | Science and Technology | Social Science

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Rank

Foundation

Grants

Total Given

1

Richard King Mellon Foundation

287

150,050,783

2

McKnight Foundation

187

71,206,000

3

Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation

19

62,583,771

4

Ford Foundation

156

53,855,928

5

Edward C. Johnson Fund

37

43,307,119

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Source: Foundation Stats (Foundation Center) / CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

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