MOLINE, ILLINOIS (December 21, 2022) — SAL Community Services has been awarded nearly $1.2 million from the Illinois State Board of Education to implement its Prevention Initiative program, which provides services and resources to expectant parents and families with children from birth to age three to support healthy social and emotional development.
The grant is a game-changer for children and families in western Illinois.
“With a focus not only on children but also on parents, this grant resonates with our mission of providing support, advocacy, and learning in our community — from childhood to adulthood,” said Marcy Mendenhall, SAL’s president and CEO. “This funding will deepen the programming we already offer and step up our ability to provide services and resources focused on these crucial formative years.”
A three-year grant starting January 1, 2023, the funding will bring Prevention Initiative programming to 112 children and families in SAL’s birth-to-three classrooms at its child-care centers in Illinois as well as in licensed home-care settings. “The opportunity to support children both in our centers and in homes is a unique aspect of this program, helping us reach more families who could benefit,” said Deb Brownson, SAL’s chief program officer.
According to Brownson, healthy development between birth and age three lays the foundation for a child to succeed at learning in the future. “It really sets the stage for all the other relationships a child will have as they enter preschool,” she said. “It influences their confidence, their persistence, and every other skill they need to learn and grow. Our goal is to get families the resources they need when their children are at this very young age, before issues materialize.”
The grant will allow SAL to work proactively with parents to help them address challenges and needs that may affect their children’s development. With connections across the community, SAL can assist in accessing a wide range of resources, from transportation to attend doctors’ appointments to health insurance to help cover costs. “We like to say that the family is the child’s first teacher,” said Brownson. “The stability of the family is going to have a strong indication on a child’s development.”
For children with developmental delays, the funding will enable SAL to help parents navigate the school system and outside resources to support the entire family unit.
To qualify for services, children and families must meet a threshold of need. Factors that may put children at risk for future challenges at school include family poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, or limited English proficiency, among others. Children with recognized delays in early development or those who were born prematurely or at a very low birth weight may also be eligible for services.
“There’s a long list of things that can get in the way of healthy development for children,” said Brownson. “SAL is proud to have the expertise — and the resources — to remove those barriers and set them up for success.”
About SAL Community Services
At SAL Community Services, we provide support, advocacy, and learning in our communities — from childhood to adulthood. Our mission is to strengthen children, families, and individuals to build and enhance thriving communities. Founded in 1970, we have a history of listening to the needs of our community and responding. We have grown from an organization focused on providing quality child-care to low-income working families to one that meets a wide variety of needs in the Quad Cities and beyond, from early care and education to crisis assistance. We advocate for the people we support, the communities we serve, and the solutions we champion, and we offer an inclusive, welcoming community for the people we serve — and our employees.
