IICF, The Centers support early childhood education in Cleveland
This is part three of a five-part, weekly series for the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation's Month of Giving.
Today, Cleveland is considered the second poorest large city in the United States, having one of the lowest average household incomes resulting in inequitable access to available human services important in people leading meaningful and healthy lives.
For over 50 years, The Centers has been a community leader addressing the negative outcomes of poverty in the community. At The Centers, it is our mission to fight for equity by healing, teaching, and by inspiring individuals and families to reach their full potential. Our hope is that ultimately this work will cultivate communities that are more equitable, healthier, and prosperous. The Centers better serves the community by creating a single system through which 20,000 Clevelanders annually can access a broad array of services. Those services include:
- Integrated health & wellness: Addressing physical, mental, and behavioral health concerns that impact individuals’ abilities to thrive in other areas of their lives.
- Early learning & family support: Helping families and the community recognize that the first 2,000 days of life – from birth to age five – is a critical period of development and growth for children that sets the stage for their future.
- Workforce development: Extending job and career-building opportunities for individuals who struggle to find adequate and sustainable employment and income.
- Residential youth programs: Providing expanded access to behavioral health services and emergency housing for children and adolescents through residential programs.
The Centers’ early learning and family support program provides interventions and access to resources that help pregnant women, families, and the community recognize the first 2,000 days of life as a critical time of development and growth for children. This program supports approximately 1,500 children and their families each year.
With over half of children under age 5 living in poverty, growing up in a household with material hardship creates increased exposure to risk factors for young children. This in turn leads to inequities in opportunities for optimal health, learning and social-emotional development for young children living in poverty.
The importance of The Centers’ early learning program is noted by a parent who has a child enrolled at one of our locations. “As a parent, when you drop your kid off at school, and they can’t wait to get to the door, you know that your child feels safe. So, you feel safe leaving them there with people who care about your kids – so much that they treat them like they’re their own. … At the center of The Centers is the dedication to providing amazing education and support for families and children.”
Again this year, teams coordinated by the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF) are volunteering at one of The Centers’ six early learning locations by participating in daily classroom activities and reading to the students. When organizations like IICF visit The Centers on-site to meet and educate students, not only does their presence benefit the children, but that special assistance from external partners inspires both the teachers and parents as well. By focusing on core outcomes to improve the quality of education, IICF is joining The Centers to fight for equity that gives all Cleveland children the opportunity to reach their full potential.
As we enter IICF’s Month of Giving, please consider how valuable your support is to organizations like ours. For more information about The Centers, please visit www.thecentersohio.org.