Tag: horizons for homeless children

Baker-Polito Administration Awards $6 Million for Early Education Programs

The Baker-Polito Administration and the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation (CEDAC) today announced $6 million in grant awards for facility improvements at early education and care programs that serve low-income children.  Six agencies were selected to receive an Early Education and Out of School Time (EEOST) capital improvement grant, which will help increase the quality of their early education programs through critical facility repairs and renovations.

Early Education and Care Commissioner Samantha Aigner-Treworgy made the announcement at YMCA Cape Cod in Hyannis, the site of one of the facilities funded by the 2019 grant awards.

“Our administration is pleased to support facility improvements at early education and care programs throughout the Commonwealth to provide families with the resources necessary for success in and out of the classroom,” said Governor Charlie Baker.  “Renovating and repairing child care facilities helps achieve the administration’s goal of providing quality early education and care in all Massachusetts communities.”

“Since taking office, we have provided over $25 million in funding to 31 non-profit agencies operating licensed child care programs,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito.  “These critical investments provide safer environments for children to learn in, while providing educators with modernized facilities.”

“These grants were created to help non-profit providers serving children in low-income communities improve their facilities because we know that building deficiencies impact the quality of teaching and learning in early childhood,” said Education Secretary James Peyser.

The Early Education and Out of School Time capital improvement grants are financed through the state’s capital budget and provide matching funds that leverage private investment.  The Baker-Polito Administration’s FY19 Capital Budget Plan included funding for the Early Education and Out of School Time capital improvement grant program.

“Well-designed buildings, classrooms and play spaces help provide high-quality learning environments in which children grow and thrive,” said Early Education and Care Commissioner Samantha Aigner-Treworgy.  “The $6 million in grant awards this year — the highest amount since the EEOST Capital Fund inception — will support better program settings for over 700 children across the state.”

“All children deserve to learn in enriching environments and their teachers deserve well-equipped facilities,” said Theresa Jordan, Director of Children’s Facilities Finance, CEDAC Children’s Investment Fund.  “The EEOST Capital Fund is creating those environments across the Commonwealth and leveraging additional resources in support of high-quality early childhood education and out-of-school time.”

The following organizations received grants:

Lead Agency Service Area Award
Cape Ann YMCA/YMCA of North Shore, Inc. Gloucester $1,000,000
Greater Lawrence Community Action Council Lawrence $1,000,000
Greater Lowell Family YMCA, Inc. Lowell $1,000,000
Horizons for Homeless Children, Inc. Boston $1,000,000
YMCA of Cape Cod, Inc. Cape and Islands $1,000,000
YWCA of Central Massachusetts Greater Worcester $1,000,000

“We are so honored to be selected for this transformational funding since Hyannis demonstrates an incredible need for high quality and affordable child care options,” said YMCA Cape Cod President and CEO, Stacie Peugh.  “This new early education center located in the heart of downtown Hyannis will offer a state-of-the-art environment with optimal learning opportunities for children led by loving early childhood professionals.  The YMCA Cape Cod is thankful for the investment in our children’s future.”

All of the programs selected to receive a grant award serve publicly-subsidized families, have demonstrated financial need and have secured additional funding to pay for a portion of their project costs. The Department of Early Education and Care partnered with CEDAC’s affiliate, the Children’s Investment Fund, to administer the grants. All of the grantees are non-profit corporations or organizations in which a non-profit corporation has a controlling interest.

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SourceDepartment of Early Education and Care, Executive Office of Education

Horizons for Homeless Children and WaterMark Development, Inc Break Ground on New Horizons Center

State-of-the-Art building will provide critical social and early education services to homeless children and their families

Roxbury, MA – September 21, 2018 – Horizons for Homeless Children, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of young homeless children and their families, and WaterMark Development, Inc. today broke ground on the new Horizons’ Center, a 140,000-square-foot social services center in Roxbury.

The center, located at 1785 Columbus Ave., is the first-of-its-kind in Massachusetts and will improve the education, health and well-being of the city’s homeless families by providing on-site early education programs as well as access to a variety of social services to help parents navigate the many complexities of homelessness.

“We are very excited to expand our reach and provide services to more children and their families through the additional space and resources in the new center,” said Kate Barrand, CEO of Horizons for Homeless Children. “We are grateful to WaterMark for partnering with Horizons on the new building, as well as the many donors who are making it possible for us to change the trajectory of our city’s homeless families.”

In addition to serving as the headquarters for Horizons and the location of their new 35,000-square-foot Early Education Center serving 225 children (ages two months to five years), the building will house the Department of Children and Families regional office, the national offices of YouthBuild USA, the Boston office of Room to Grow and a new restaurant concept owned by the local Abreu family.

The unique public/private joint venture between Horizons and WaterMark Development features the collaborative design efforts of studioMLA Architects and Embarc Studio and will be built by Commodore Builders.   The project is a significant investment in the Roxbury community, providing valuable new services and bringing approximately 400 new jobs to the Jackson Square area. The Horizons Center is scheduled to open its doors in 2020.

Funding for this project is made possible through a unique combination of private gifts, new markets tax credits and construction financing provided by a bank consortium led by Eastern Bank and including Boston Private, The Life Initiative and Boston Community Capital. New Markets Tax Credit funding for the project was provided by MassDevelopment, Rose Urban Green Fund, Massachusetts Housing Investment Corporation (MHIC), The Community Builders, Building America CDE, Partners for the Common Good, and Northern Trust.  Additional funding was provided by Children’s Investment Fund, an affiliate of CEDAC.

About Horizons for Homeless Children
Horizons for Homeless Children is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of young homeless children and their families. Horizons provides high quality early education, comprehensive family support services, opportunities for play, and statewide advocacy work. Today, Horizons serves more than 1,600 young homeless children each week in Massachusetts through three early education centers and more than 90 shelter-based Playspaces. For more information about Horizons for Homeless Children, please visit: www.horizonschildren.org.

About WaterMark Development, Inc.

For nearly 30 years WaterMark Development, Inc. has worked to restore Jamaica Plain and its surrounding area. By focusing on important historic buildings and forgotten or contaminated sites, we improve our neighborhood.  With great attention paid to the accurate historic renovation of notable buildings, combined with the cutting edge building techniques and time honored craftsmanship, our diligence has made a lasting impression on the community. WaterMark is a full service developer and builder involved from the site acquisition, to neighborhood permitting process through the conclusion of each building project. WaterMark ensures best practices along every step of the process creating good will in every community in which we work.

SourceHorizons for Homeless Children