On Wed., April 21, we proudly hosted several state legislators, community leaders and Finance Fund project partners at the Capital Club in downtown Columbus. It was an excellent opportunity to share how Finance Fund has positively impacted some of the state’s most distressed communities.

We highlighted four partnership “success stories,” including Ohio Basic Minerals in Jackson; Save-a-Lot grocery store in Columbus; Noble Learning Center in Caldwell; and Miami Valley Child Development Centers (MVCDC) in Dayton. Each project touted key Finance Fund goals – job creation, safe childcare access and neighborhood revitalization.

We shared important information about the New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC) program. Last October, we were awarded $50 million in NMTC funding, with $30 million designated specifically for non-metropolitan, rural areas in Ohio. Funding is still available for qualifying projects – we strongly urge those interested to contact us for more information on a possible partnership with us.

We thank our distinguished guests for their presence, and look forward to new partnerships that will lead to more jobs, revitalized communities and safer access to care.

We recently funded a renovation of the Kings Highway Head Start project, a part of the Miami Valley Child Development Centers Inc. This is one of many projects that Finance Fund has been privileged to work with. Those that know me, know I’m a passionate advocate for Head Start and this one was no exception.

Miami Valley Child Development Centers, Inc. serves Clark, Madison and Montgomery Counties in Ohio. Their overall goal is to prepare children, ages zero to five years, to be successful students when they enter kindergarten. Programs work holistically with families and children, balancing parent involvement, health and nutrition, social skills, literacy, and numeracy development. More than just a childcare center, Miami Valley Child Development Centers empower families by teaching parenting and life skills.

When our program team met with Miami Valley Child Development Centers, Inc., we saw their need to repair and renovate their Kings Highway facility. Using New Markets Tax Credit funding, the repairs and overhaul at Kings Highway MVCDC are underway and should be completed in October. As you can see in these pictures, the improved facility will soon provide a safe, clean and happy learning environment for the children of Montgomery County.

The Kings Highway MVCDC Entrance

Renovated Bathroom at MVCDC

Hallway at MVCDC

Stay tuned for updates on the upcoming celebration for the improved facility. And in the meantime, if you are Head Start seeking assistance in enhancing your facility, contact us. Call at 614.221.1114 or send me an e-mail at jrklein@financefund.org.

The famous psychologist, Jean Piaget, explained that child’s play is not just fun, it is an important part of their brain development. Other studies validate Piaget’s statement, showing that the first years of a child’s life determine the trajectory of their cognitive, emotional and interpersonal issues.

We must then ask ourselves how this impacts the cognitive development of economically-disadvantaged children with limited access to early childhood education. Unfortunately, the answer is not surprising. A recent study by Child Trends found that underprivileged children typically lag behind other children as young as nine months old. Those of us working toward improving the viability of low-income communities should be particularly mindful of this staggering information.

So what can be done in Ohio to ensure all children have access to opportunity? For one, we can invest in improving childcare. We cannot subject young children to emotional anorexia and expect their cognitive skills to develop effectively. A study from the National Center for Early Development & Learning found that quality child care was critical in ensuring that a child is ready for elementary school both cognitively and behaviorally. Essentially, child-teacher bonds formed in the childcare classroom prepare children for their future education.

We must make providing access to early childhood centers in our communities a priority. Both funding and resources are available to make this a reality. For example, Finance Fund had the pleasure of helping to fund the first and only early childhood center in Noble County. The Noble Learning Center had struggled for some time to find a stable location, operating out of rented apartments and struggling to keep its lease. Through creative funding, the Noble Learning Center was able to reclaim a vacant building and now operates as the four-county region’s only licensed childcare center. Projects like these improve opportunities for children in our communities to fully engage in their education.

As you begin to see school buses and school playgrounds fill with children, take a moment to ask yourself an important question. What can you do to ensure that all children are provided with the opportunity to learn and ultimately succeed? It’s imperative to our future.

In 2002 I wrote an article called “The Great Placebo” that postulated our common perspective of “talk about anything but do nothing.” Regrettably this is what has happened to discussions of safe, sanitary, and developmentally appropriate space for children to grow over the past twenty years. Economic Impact of Early Care and Education, Step Up to Quality, School Readiness Solutions Group, Reggio Emilia approach, and the list goes on, have talked about the importance and integration of developmentally appropriate facilities in the early lives of children. But, that talking has resulted in zero resources.

Yesterday I met with a group of educators called the Futures Group that thinks and acts around the issues of change in early care and education, and I heard the same frustration yet again. Of course facilities are important, but there are so many important issues that call for a limited set of resources and facilities drops to the bottom of the list. I shared with them one of the only organizations that I know of that is nationally advocating for resources focused on child care space.

The National Childrens Facilities Network (NCFN) is a coalition of nonprofit financial and technical assistance intermediaries involved in planning, developing, and financing facilities for low-income early care and education programs. The Network’s purpose is to share information on child care facilities issues, initiate legislation and regulations affecting low-income early care and education facilities and develop and support various financing strategies and programs.

With the urging of NCFN, Representative Carolyn McCarthy (NY) has introduced H.R. 1685 (Child Care Facilities Financing Act of 2009) into the House of Representatives, and Senators Robert Casey (PA) and Blanche Lincoln (AR) have introduced a companion bill S. 1002 into the Senate. These bills call for a $250 million five year investment to the financing of child care facilities nationally. Though this concept has a long way to go before it becomes reality, it is one of the only bright spots in the discussion of space for children to grow that fading memory can recall.