What is Erie’s Future Fund?
Erie’s Future Fund (EFF) was created in 2011 as an outgrowth of the Erie Community Foundation’s Early Childhood Advisory Panel in partnership with United Way of Erie County, Success By 6, members of the Pennsylvania Early Learning Investment Commission (ELIC) and Erie Together. Leaders from the foundation, corporate, nonprofit and civic sectors sought to address growing concerns about the lack of school readiness among many children entering kindergarten, and the significant impact this was having now, and would have in the future, on Erie County’s economy and quality of life.
Research has shown that a lack of quality early learning experiences makes it more likely that children will be unprepared for success in school and beyond. Conversely, if a child receives a high-quality early childhood education, especially a child from poverty, they are more likely to succeed in school, graduate, and enter the skilled workforce. Quality early childhood education provides a positive long-lasting effect on a child’s educational and economic future, in turn helping improve the community’s economy and future workforce (http://www.readynation.org).
Although there are some opportunities to provide children from low-income families within Erie County the chance to attend a high-quality early childhood education program (I.e. Pre-K Counts programming and Head Start), there are still children who are not being served. Through funding from individual donations, cause-related marketing, and PreK Educational Improvement Tax Credits, Erie’s Future Fund provides scholarships to reach the unserved children from low-income families to help them attend a high-quality Early Childhood Education (ECE) program for up to three years prior to kindergarten. Families select from area public and private ECE programs that meet the STARS* criteria of Level 3 or 4, have paid slots available in PreK Counts classrooms, or have attained NAEYC accreditation and meet our program expectations. Once enrolled in the family’s chosen high-quality program, children can attend up to five days a week during the school year. Additionally, contingent upon available funding, Erie’s Future Fund Summer Scholarships are offered for qualifying children to attend up to 11 weeks of high-quality child care, helping reduce the effects of the “summer slide” (loss of learning during the summer months), while providing Scholars with nutritious meals. Remaining funds will be provided to contracted Scholar programs for school-related fees such as instructional materials, technology and equipment for services, and activities, as approved in the PreK EITC guidelines.
Who can apply?
Children up to two years prior to kindergarten who reside in Erie County can apply for an Erie’s Future Fund Scholarship. Families must have an annual household income at or below 350% of poverty, but prioritizes children from families that are 185% of poverty. This income threshold will serve more hard-working families that are not able to qualify for PreK Counts or Head Start, and struggle to make ends meet. The Summer Scholars program through Erie’s Future Fund has the same qualifying factors for children and quality programs. Scholars attending during the school year will take top priority for a Summer Scholars program Scholarship.
Families are provided guidance on selecting an Early Childhood Education program, skills and knowledge necessary to promote school readiness throughout their child’s early years, information about health, child development, and community resources to support their family’s needs.
How is the scholarship program evaluated?
Erie’s Future Fund measures the impact of the program on school readiness and monitors the attendance of participating children, checks to make sure the contracted programs maintain their high-quality status, and encourages engagement of participating parents in their child’s education.
To evaluate each Erie’s Future Fund Scholar’s progress, data from each Scholar’s assessment are collected, focusing on five Key Learning Areas. These five Key Learning Areas are within Pennsylvania’s research-based standards that identify key learning areas of development that help guide early childhood education programs by promoting attitudes, skills and concepts that children need to successfully learn and build upon during their lifetime. Erie’s Future Fund collects the Scholar data from state-approved assessments used within the high-quality programs, using a progress measurement scale for the five Key Learning Areas listed:
1. Language and Literacy Development, Early Literacy Foundation: Reading, writing, speaking, and listening
2. Mathematical Thinking and Expression: Exploring, processing, and problem-solving
3. Scientific Thinking and Technology: Exploring, inquiry, and discovery
4. Approaches to Learning Through Play: Constructing, organizing, and applying knowledge
5. Social and Emotional Development: Learning about self and others
The makeup of the families that Erie’s Future Fund serves varies and has included grandparents and great-grandparents who have custody of their grandchildren, families of diverse ethnicities including refugees, children with disabilities, single parents, grandparents, foster families, parents with multiple births (twins, triplets), veterans, active members in the military, college students, homeless families escaping domestic violence, children receiving early intervention services, as well as families dealing with severe illness, a life-altering injury, or loss of their spouse. Quality Early Care and Education programs offer consistency and provide a safe environment for optimal learning. Erie’s Future Fund recognizes that sometimes families need more support than others during the application process and during the lifetime of the Scholarship, and will accommodate all families as much as necessary, even assisting with the Scholar’s kindergarten registration.
Erie's Future Fund is a unique Scholarship program for preschoolers. Because of the large number of high-quality programs that can contract with Erie’s Future Fund, this Scholarship program can serve any qualified child throughout Erie County. Through Erie’s Future Fund Scholarships, quality child care programs do not need to turn away a child due to a family’s financial hardship. Currently there are over 40 high-quality early childhood education locations throughout Erie County where families can choose from. Over 1,400 scholarships have been awarded to children from low-income families, providing each Erie’s Future Fund Scholar with the tools necessary for success in school, and the future workforce. On behalf of the families and children who qualify for an Erie Future Fund scholarship, thank you for your consideration!
*Keystone STARS (Standards, Training/Professional Development, Assistance, Resources, and Supports) is a quality rating system that promotes quality improvement in early learning and development programs and school-age child care. A Keystone STARS designation informs parents that their children are in a safe, respectful environment in which they are learning new things every day to support their current and future successes in school and in life. Early learning programs participating in Keystone STARS can earn a quality rating score from a STAR 1 to a STAR 4. At each level, programs must meet certain quality standards in four key areas: staff education, learning environment, leadership/management, and family/community partnerships. The higher the STAR level, the higher the quality standards.
