The Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands (CFVI) has announced the availability of the 2011 Kimelman Grants for Quality Improvements in Early Childhood Education.
The Kimelman Grantswill provide a total of $25,000 in grant awards ranging from $250 to $2,500, for the territory’s non-government supported, licensed child care centers. Proposals may request funding for professional development, center resources and tools, parent training, books and developmentally appropriate materials, etc. The criteria and application form invite maximum participation and room for creativity from applicants. Funding will be awarded on a competitive basis for initiatives which place emphasis on assisting centers to meet therevised rules and regulationsrecently issued by the Department of Human Services of the Government of the Virgin Islands.
The grants are an initiative of The Family Connection (TFC), which is the CFVI’s program to enhance the early childhood environment in the U.S.V.I. TFC has an ambitious agenda, including strategies to strengthen the community child care and early education infrastructure in the U.S. Virgin Islands through professional training, teacher and parent education, child care center accreditation, and advocacy to improve public policies that affect the quality of child care, early literacy, family involvement and school readiness.
Applications will be reviewed by a committee including parents and early child care professionals. Priority will be given to proposals where the project description is clear and well organized, creative strategies and activities are used to improve the quality of early childhood education, outcomes are measurable and substantive, the budget is realistic and the funds will be used efficiently.
For more information about the Kimelman grants, call The Family Connection Center at 777-0990 to speak with Patricia Varlack or contact CFVI at 774-6031 to get in touch with TFC Director Ellie Hirsh.
Applications can be picked up at TFC in Vitraco Mall, St. Thomas, at the Office of Child Care and Regulatory Services in Golden Rock, St. Croix, or can be downloaded from CFVI’s Web site at www.cfvi.net. To have an application mailed or faxed, call the CFVI at 774-6031 or TFC at 777-0990. The final date for submission of proposals is 5 p.m, Friday, July 29.
