Vision for Children at Risk is among a group of agencies collaborating on a special early childhood learning initiative in the City of St. Louis, funded by a $1 million federal Early Learning Opportunities grant.

The project is an outgrowth of the Mayor’s Summit on Early Childhood Success in which the mayor targeted early childhood development as a priority of his administration.

The federally funded initiative, entitled “Building Strong Foundations,” incorporates a variety of activities promoting learning and literacy in children age 5 and under. These include outreach services to children and families, training for child care providers and parents, development of a data and information network, and public information. Results will be evaluated over the 18-month grant period to determine the impact of these activities and the role of each in a larger early childhood success implementation plan.

Agencies partnering in the project, besides, VCR, include the Child Day Care Association, the United Way of Greater St. Louis, the City of St. Louis Department of Health & Human Services, the St. Louis Public Library, KETC-TV, ARCHS, the UM-St. Louis E. Desmond Lee Technology & Learning Center, Parents as Teachers National Center, YMCA Head Start, the UM-St. Louis Public Policy Research Center, and more.