EDWARDS FOUNDATION CHILD CARE SCHOLARSHIP
The O.P. and W.E. Edwards Foundation asked The Vermont Community Foundation to administer its Preschool Scholarship Program beginning in the fall of 1990. The program was recently renamed to Edwards Child Care Scholarship. The Board of Directors of the Edwards Foundation established the scholarship program to benefit children who seemed to be getting "lost in the cracks" of day care subsidy. It wanted to help those children most in need of quality preschool education: i.e. those who because of the isolation of geography and economics are likely to have difficulties when the time comes for them to enter the public school system.

Who May Apply
Any not-for-profit child care center (must have 501(c)(3) designation from the IRS) with a demonstrated capability of serving children from economically stressed families.

When To Apply
The application deadline is June 1 (postmarked by that date) with decisions to be made in July.

Procedure
Download an application in Adobe Acrobat format.
Download an application in Microsoft Word format.
Download a grant evaluation form in Adobe Acrobat format.

The Edwards Foundation and the VCF want to make the application and selection procedure as easy and "non-bureaucratic" as possible. The most important question, of course, is "how do you identify and reach the children most in need of this assistance?" In this program, we must rely heavily on the day care program director's sensitivity and judgment to select the recipients. Because the number of applications to the Edwards Child Care Scholarship Fund is increasing, we are asking for more complete information on your center's programs and the population of children served in order to make the best decisions possible.

The foundations seek to assure themselves that the child care center has a commitment to serving these children and that they are able to find them. We ask that applicants describe their proposed scholarship recipients, both to make sure that they are able to find them and to educate ourselves about the actual circumstances from which these children come. Be sure to describe your school's program as requested on the Proposal Summary Form, and please include a copy of your center's Mission Statement as well. It would be helpful to include a letter of support from an organization with which your preschool collaborates.

Typically, grants will be given as a single award in the $500 to $2,000 range, which the grantee will then allocate among the individual families at its discretion. The childcare center will choose the children to be aided and report periodically on their progress. In awarding its grants, the selection committee will make its choices on the basis of the availability of children in need, the quality and reputation of the day care center, the center's stability, and the demonstrated capability of serving children from stressed families. We will also take into account whether previous recipients of scholarship funds submitted the requested report on the use of those funds. We expect reports to be received by the June 1 application deadline. If you re-apply to Edwards, you may attach the report to your application.

Finally, we hope this program will reach children who most need a preschool program to help them with the rudimentary knowledge and social skills that are expected of children entering kindergarten. It is hoped that by helping to provide a quality preschool experience, they will be able to begin their formal school careers with a pattern of success and stability and the confidence and basic skills so necessary to early achievement.

Where To Mail Applications:
The Edwards Foundation
Child Care Scholarship Program
c/o The Vermont Community Foundation
P.O. Box 30
Middlebury, Vermont 05753

We're here to help:
If you have any questions, our Community Grantmaking department is always happy to answer them:

Laura Marlow
Community Philanthropy Steward
lmarlow@vermontcf.org
802-388-3355 extension 247

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