Children's Village Selected as Grant Recipient of United Way's New Initiative to Combat Poverty

The New Partnership Grant Program Takes Aims at Philadelphia’s Persistent Challenge of Poverty

Children’s Village is a $50,000 award recipient from the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey (UWGPSNJ)’s inaugural Partnership Grant Program, which aims to address poverty and create opportunities for all. We are one of 100 nonprofits across a nine-county footprint to receive the one-year unrestricted grant. Awardees were selected from the Program’s priority focus areas of early learning, career pathways, financial empowerment, and community resiliency. 

“Philadelphia is the country’s poorest large city. With one in five individuals living in poverty, United Way's new initiative to develop collaborative, community-based approaches takes on great urgency,” says Mary Graham, Ex Dir., Children's Village.

DID YOU KNOW?
A child struggling to read by the start of 4th grade is four times more likely to drop out of high school. If that student’s family is confronting poverty, they are six times more likely to drop out.

In Children's Village's literacy-rich environment, books are always within reach--in classrooms and in our on-site lending library. Our teachers and librarian nurture a love of stories. Children's Village also provides parent education programming (in English and Chinese) to encourage reading at home.

"We applaud United Way for prioritizing early learning as a core strategy to resolve the entrenched challenge of poverty. High-quality early education promotes academic and lifelong success, truly helping to level the playing field for children from diverse backgrounds," says Ms. Graham.
“Through this award, United Way has recognized Children’s Village’s early learning expertise, including our extensive family support services and deep roots in the local Asian American community," says Ms. Graham. 

The impact of the award on Children's Village's work will be even greater than its significant dollar amount. The nature of the new Partnership Grant Program is one of collaboration and information sharing among the awardees and United Way.

"We are eager to deepen community partnerships and work with United Way to develop solutions to ensure that the doors to high-quality early learning are open to all children. Early learning is a powerful part of Philadelphia's poverty solution. When children thrive, families, and communities thrive*," says Ms. Graham.
*From Children's Village's Core Values. Read them here.