Application Deadline: September 30, 2018

From https://urbanawarenessusa.org/:

The Caplan Foundation for Early Childhood supports innovative, creative projects and programs with the potential to significantly enhance the development, health, safety, education, or quality of life of children from infancy through five years of age.

The foundation provides funding in the areas of early childhood welfare, early childhood education and play, and parenting education.

1) Early Childhood Welfare: Children can only reach their full potential when all aspects of their development — intellectual, emotional and physical —are optimally supported. Providing a safe and nurturing environment for infants and preschoolers is essential, as is imparting to them the skills of social living in a culturally diverse world. To that end, the foundation supports programs that research best child-rearing practices and identify models that  provide creative, caring environments that ensure all children thrive.

2) Early Childhood Education and Play: Research shows that children need to be stimulated as well as nurtured early in life if they are to succeed in school, work, and life. That preparation relates to every aspect of a child’s development, from birth to age five, and everywhere a child learns — at home, in childcare settings, and in preschool. The foundation seeks to improve the quality of both early childhood teaching and learning through the development of innovative curricula and research based pedagogical standards, as well as the design of imaginative play materials and learning environments.

3) Parenting Education: To help parents create nurturing environments for their children, the foundation supports programs that teach parents about developmental psychology, cultural child-rearing differences, pedagogy, issues of health, prenatal care and diet, and programs that provide both cognitive and emotional support to parents.

Upon review, selected applicants will be invited to submit a full application.

See the Caplan Foundation website for complete program guidelines and application procedures.

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Additional Funding

SPRINGFIELD – While obtaining a college degree is increasingly vital to career advancement, low-income, racial minority and first-generation college students often struggle to transition into a college or university’s culture.

A plan led by Illinois Senate Assistant Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood) that was signed into law on Friday seeks to ease the transition into college by allowing Illinois’ public universities to establish bridge programs. These programs would provide access, academic support and financial aid to underrepresented students.

“Our universities should be equipped to ensure the success of all students,” Lightford said. “Bridge programs create an opportunity for students who may have a tougher time adjusting to college by offering them support in areas often overlooked.”

SPRINGFIELD – A proposal from Illinois Senate Assistant Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood) that would implement a pilot program to make parenting courses part of the health education curriculum for high school students was signed into law on Thursday.

“We currently do not offer courses that teach young people about raising children and having healthy relationships as adults,” Lightford said. “These lessons are important in making sure our young people are making responsible decisions.”

House Bill 4442 requires the State Board of Education to administer a three-year pilot program providing support to school districts that utilize a unit of instruction on parenting education.

The program would begin with the 2019-2020 school year, and is encouraged to include:
• Family structure, function and management
• Prevention of child abuse
• Physical, mental, emotional, social, economic and psychological aspects of interpersonal and family relationships
• Parenting education competency development

The law goes into effect Jan. 1, 2019.

SPRINGFIELD – A plan led by Assistant Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood) would reduce penalties from a Class A misdemeanor to a traffic citation for individuals driving with a suspended license due to unpaid parking fines, automated camera enforcement or unpaid child support.

“Putting people in jail for being too poor to pay parking fines or child support is counterproductive,” Lightford said. “We should be focused on helping people get on their feet instead of making life even harder for them.”

Currently, a person who drives a motor vehicle while their license or permit is suspended or revoked for such offenses may be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor, which can result in a sentence of up to one year in jail. This penalty is the same for those whose license was suspended for a DUI.

“There is a big difference between not having enough money to pay bills and irresponsibly putting lives in danger. They should be penalized accordingly,” Lightford said.

House Bill 3920 allows an individual to receive three citations for driving with a suspended license for parking fines, automated camera enforcement or unpaid child support before it becomes a Class A misdemeanor.

The law goes into effect Jan. 1, 2019.