Grants awarded to early childhood providers, including United Community Center, a Shine Early Learning partner

Milwaukee County and the Community Advocates Public Policy Institute have selected six agencies to receive approximately $800,000 in grants, funded by the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), for early childhood and family strengthening projects. The agencies include: Jewish Family Services, The Parenting Network, Penfield Children’s Center (partner program with our sister organization Acelero Learning), Wisconsin Alliance for Infant Mental Health, Wisconsin Latino Chamber of Commerce, and United Community Center (UCC).

United Community Center, a Shine Early Learning partner program, has been serving the southside of Wisconsin since its founding in 1970. Its mission is to transform the lives of Hispanics, families and individuals of all ages by providing the highest quality comprehensive services in education, human services, health, community development and cultural arts. UCC offers Early Head Start services and Head Start preschool.

With the funding, United Community Center will create a sustainable model of whole childcare and family support that will enhance home/school continuity, and thus, the Building Resilience Initiative’s overall long-term positive impacts. This will be done through a new parent education class with Positive Solutions for Families curriculum, as well as increasing parent and staff access to 1:1 mental health counseling.

The selected programs and their projects will work to help Milwaukee County families thrive and provide them with techniques to enhance the development and learning potential of children in the community.