Las Vegas, NV (December, 2017) - The Las Vegas-Clark County Library District Foundation, opens a new window has been awarded $2,000 from the Scripps Howard Foundation in support of Raising Las Vegas, an initiative aimed at raising the quality of child care and the number of pre-school opportunities available in our community. Raising Las Vegas was started in 2016 as the Library Foundation convened 15 community partners to connect children 0-5 with brain building resources at branch libraries, home and a growing variety of outreach sites including WIC clinics, child care centers, and family nurse home visits. The award will help increase public awareness of the key links between Early Childhood Education, Kindergarten readiness, high school graduation, and workforce success.
“Communities across the nation are making early childhood development a top priority,” stated Danielle Milam, Development Director for the Library District and Library Foundation. “This project is a great example of how the library can connect the most vulnerable families in our community with early literacy resources so that their children have a foundation for success. We know from current research that children who engage in early literacy activities enter school ready to learn and are more likely to complete high school and move on successfully to college and careers. The Library District is uniquely poised to help reduce the achievement gap caused by poverty and cultural conditions by offering children significant early childhood development and literacy experiences.”