LOS ANGELES – MARCH 05, 2018 – Children’s Bureau, a nonprofit leader in protecting vulnerable children through prevention, treatment and advocacy, was recently awarded a $100,000 grant from S. Mark Taper Foundation for its Family Enrichment Program (FEP) which serves 450 children aged infant to five years old and their parents in two Los Angeles-area locations. The program aims to improve all aspects of a child’s development—- physical, language, cognitive, social and emotional—while also developing parents’ and/or caregivers’ education and abilities as their children’s first teachers.
“The S. Mark Taper Foundation is proud to support the Family Enrichment Program and its message of empowerment for at-risk families. The innovative program gives parents the skills and tools needed to help their children flourish. We’re especially impressed by the program’s ability to galvanize parents to give back to their community what they’ve gained from Children’s Bureau,” said Adrienne Wittenberg, Executive Director at S. Mark Taper Foundation.
Children’s Bureau has offered FEP for 18 years and considers the program to be vital in the organization’s efforts to invest in the early years when the impact on children, families and the community is most effective. Furthermore, there are no similar programs in the area, making this a unique opportunity for funders like S. Mark Taper Foundation to make a meaningful difference in the lives of these at-risk children and their parents.
“FEP tackles early child education from both a child and parent perspective, recognizing the importance of both pieces in a child’s ultimate success. We’ve seen first-hand these vulnerable parents gain much-needed confidence while their children enter kindergarten prepared and ready to learn,” said Jose Ramos, Children’s Bureau’s Director of Prevention Department.