Grants boost up Lynn nonprofits

LYNN – The child care program at the Lynn YMCA may seek accreditation for the first time thanks to a grant from the Children’s Investment Fund.”One of the things holding us back is that we didn’t have hand-washing in each classroom,” said Tania Buck, senior director of After School and Government Relations for the YMCA Metro North. “This is a huge step.”With a $4,500 grant from Children’s Investment Fund, Buck said she was able to purchase three portable sinks that gave them the last detail needed in order to apply for accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children.Buck said when it comes to seeking money to upgrade facilities the Children’s Investment Fund, (CIF) is about the only game in town.”I’ve worked with them for years, they’re wonderful,” she said.The Children’s Investment Fund’s mission is to ensure that children “spend their days in physical environments that support healthy development and learning.” To meet that end it gives grants aimed at helping not-for-profit child care providers upgrade facilities and education spaces.Mav Pardee, CIF’s program director, said they target nonprofits because those agencies tend to serve a high proportion of children on public subsidy. It is the first time in several years that CIF has targeted the North Shore.”We know that providers on the North Shore want the highest quality space for the kids in their care, but often lack the resources to fund these repairs and improvements,” Pardee said.Lynn Economic Opportunity Inc., and Catholic Charities Child Care of Lynn were also among the six grants CIF handed out. The other three were given to agencies in the Lawrence area.LEO received funding to develop a playground while Catholic Charities received money to replace worn out windows.Last year, CIF issued a report, “Building an Infrastructure for Quality,” based on the condition of nonprofit child care facilities around the state. Pardee said the report found that too often the spaces where early child care and after school programs operate need repairs or improvements in order to fulfill, what she called, “the commonwealth’s ambitious educational policy goals.””There is a lot of evidence that quality of a facility has an impact on a child’s health,” she added. “When we did a site visit up at Catholic Charities, it’s in an old school and there was air coming through the (closed) windows.”Pardee said CIF is also interested in supporting teachers and the space they need as well.”Many improvements that providers would like to make do not require a lot of money, but even small repairs and equipment replacement are often beyond their reach,” she said.Buck said she is grateful for the ability to purchase the sinks, which coast $1,300 each.”We only have bathrooms in one classroom, the other two classrooms were always transitioning back and forth to wash hands because as preschoolers they wash their hands all the time,” she said. “We’re really happy.”Chris Stevens can be reached at [email protected].