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Grants in Action
Boulder Day Nursery
Objective: To provide affordable, high-quality early childhood education for children age six weeks to six years.
Impact: Boulder Day Nursery Association was established in 1917 by women who saw a need to help mothers working in Boulder’s bandage and ammunitions factories during World War I. Since then, the organization has continued to focus on providing working families with top-quality child care. “The state allows a ratio of one adult to 15 children in child care facilities. Our ratio is one to seven,” says Boulder Day Nursery’s Executive Director Steve Callander. This means that the organization has the resources to work with children with behavioral or developmental challenges in a different way than many child care centers. “It has always been a philosophy of ours that we do not turn those kids away – we address those issues as they come up in the classroom,” says Callander. In 2008, the center served nearly 130 children, 85 percent of whom came from low-income families. The organization currently has more than 300 families on its waiting list.
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Mi Casa Resource Center
Objective: To support Latino families in becoming economically successful.
Impact: Latinos in Colorado have consistently higher unemployment rates and lower high-school graduation rates than whites. “Our population is so full of potential,” says Christine Márquez-Hudson, Mi Casa Resource Center’s CEO and executive director. “If we do a good job getting people launched, it will make all the difference for them and their families.” Mi Casa helps Latinos build confidence in several ways: succeeding in school, building businesses, or preparing for jobs in high-growth industries like health care and energy. The organization offers career training, business development services and programs to support youth and families. And, while Mi Casa is focused on Latinos, it serves all ethnicities. In 2008, after more than 30 years, Mi Casa Resource Center dropped the “for Women” that used to be at the end of its name. “We were already serving a lot of men so our name better reflects who we are now,” says Márquez-Hudson. “We want everyone to feel welcome.”
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- Grant profiles from Rose Community Foundation's 2008 Annual Report
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Adult students take a course offered through Mi Casa Resource Center to retrain as solar-panel installers.