United Way of Central Ohio is pleased to announce a partnership with the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation to deepen the support for early childhood education. The goal of the partnership is to build organizational capacity and improve outcomes for vulnerable children.
Through the partnership, six United Way partners recently received funding awards totaling $275,000. These partners provide services focused on building resiliency and providing trauma-informed care for our community’s youngest learners. A grant review panel of eight individuals, including United Way and Osteopathic Heritage Foundation
staff members and community volunteers, evaluated each proposal.
“The Osteopathic Heritage Foundation’s partnership with United Way of Central Ohio fulfills a key objective of the Foundation’s Behavioral Health and Substance Use Disorder Initiative to build resiliency and address adverse childhood experiences of vulnerable children in our community,” said Susan Beaudry, Foundation Vice President.
Earlier this year, United Way announced it would increase its focus and support on basic needs and student success, underscoring the damaging and lasting impact COVID-19 has on at-risk families. These investments highlight the critical need to support our earliest learners by creating protective factors and building life-long resiliency. Through this collaborative funding initiative, the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation and United Way are pooling grantmaking infrastructure, knowledge and resources to streamline the funding process for agencies and increase community impact.
“We are so pleased the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation selected United Way for this partnership. It’s one of the many ways we can help organizations and corporations extend their charitable giving,” said Lisa S. Courtice, President and CEO of United Way of Central Ohio. “By trusting our thorough vetting process and utilizing our infrastructure to manage the grants process, the Foundation can ensure its investments will make a difference in the lives of vulnerable children.”
St. Vincent Family Center is one of the grant recipients. The organization will use awarded funds to support mental health consultation to early childhood education providers and intensive behavioral health services to families throughout Columbus.
“By investing in St. Vincent Family Center, United Way of Central Ohio and Osteopathic Heritage Foundation are investing in the social-emotional health and recovery of our community’s youngest and most vulnerable children,” said Susan Lewis Kaylor, President and CEO of St. Vincent Family Center. “This critical funding will support early childhood educators and the families and little ones they serve with vital, trauma-informed emotional health interventions designed to promote stability and success during these most challenging circumstances.”
Grants were awarded to the following United Way funded partners in early childhood education:
Childhood League Center
Columbus Early Learning Centers
South Side Early Learning
YMCA Early Learning Center
YMCA SPARK
St. Vincent Family Center
