Manchester, NH – Easterseals NH recently received a $10,000 Grant for Good from Eastern Bank to support efforts at two Manchester-based Child Development Centers aimed at achieving early learning quality standards. The grant is part of a $1 million commitment Eastern has made to local nonprofit organizations strengthening options for children and families across Eastern Bank’s New England footprint.
The grant will support continued accreditation through the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), curriculum and instructional tools to support the programs’ maintaining this accreditation, and staff training and curriculum to support practices that promote young children’s healthy social and emotional development.
“The children in our Child Development Centers are precious and we are committed to their early education,” said Easterseals President & CEO Larry Gammon. “We are grateful to Eastern Bank for its generosity and support of this critical work.”
Easterseals NH’s two Manchester based Child Development Centers served nearly 250 children last year and provide an inclusive, comprehensive, early-learning education for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years old. The centers are committed to their goal of supporting school readiness for all, while providing additional supports for children with disabilities, special needs, and their families.
Persistent gaps in the quality of and access to early childhood development programs, as well as in parent engagement, are known to cause disparities in opportunities to succeed throughout life. Without engaging, safe, and stable environments during the first three years of life, children are likely to enter school already behind. Students who cannot read at grade level by third grade are four times more likely to drop out of school before high school graduation. And lacking a high school diploma significantly impacts future employment and earnings opportunities. Eastern is awarding grants to organizations focused on strengthening socioemotional and cognitive skills development among children in the communities it serves. Grants are intended to ensure children and their families have more equitable access to the resources needed early in life for healthy development, while funding a sector that receives a staggeringly small proportion of all philanthropy.
“Providing every child with an equal opportunity for a bright future is a basic right,” said Bob Rivers, Chair and CEO of Eastern Bank. “By supporting organizations that assist parents and caregivers and prepare children to be ready to learn and succeed, we are helping to create the foundation children need to thrive. On behalf of everyone at Eastern, we congratulate the grant recipients and thank them for their dedication to the children in our communities.”
For more information about Easterseals NH’s Child Development Centers, please visit easterseals.com/nh.
About Eastern Bank
Founded in 1818, Boston-based Eastern Bank is America’s oldest and largest mutual bank, with over $11 billion in assets and more than 115 locations serving communities in eastern Massachusetts, southern and coastal New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. Eastern provides exceptional access to fairly priced banking, investment and insurance products and services for consumers and businesses of all sizes. Eastern Bank, which includes Eastern Wealth Management and Eastern Insurance, is known for its outspoken advocacy and community support that has exceeded more than $140 million in charitable giving since 1999. An inclusive company, Eastern employs 1,900+ deeply committed professionals who value relationships with their customers, colleagues, and communities. Join us for good at www.easternbank.com and follow Eastern on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
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