Grant Application for
PoWeR! Book Bags
Mission Statement:
The mission of PoWeR! Book Bags is to increase children's experiences with language, literacy, and human interactions so that they are better able to understand themselves, communicate with others, and connect with the world.
Fiscal agent if applicant is not tax exempt:
Tax ID Number:
81-2406342
Contact First Name:
Contact Last Name:
Kara
Gregory
Address:
P.O. Box 533 Suttons Bay, MI 49682
Email:
Phone Number:
231-343-0255
Website:
Project Name:
Empowering Moms and Little Learners in Charlevoix and Emmet Counties
Project start and end dates:
June 1, 2025
May 1, 2026
Amount Requested:
$
4000
Project Description:
We are continuing our work with women and their children through the Maternal Infant Health Programs in Charlevoix and Emmet Counties and would like your help. Women start with the MIHP program when they are pregnant and remain in the program until their babies reach 18-24 months. Each month, when the home visiting program professional from MIHP visits, the mother is invited to select one age-appropriate book for each child in the home (typically up to age 6). In addition, yearly, each child receives an age-appropriate bag of PoWeR! materials which are selected to promote language, literacy & development. MIHP home visitors are available to share, model, & guide moms on the use of the materials. From the ongoing visits and accumulation of information & materials, family interactions in the home increase, mother-child relationships strengthen, & little brains are stimulated during this critical time when 90% of the brain growth is occurring.
Goal of the Project
How many people will you reach?
440
What percentage are female?
75
If your program serves both males and females, how will Hestia funds specifically target women and girls?
This program targets low-income mothers and their children who are receiving the Maternal Infant Health home visiting program at the Charlevoix and Emmet County Health departments. 170 mothers will be served along with approximately 270 children, of whom about 50% will be female and 50% male. As the mothers grow in their knowledge about their children's development, as well as in their at-home access to and ownership of tools (books, language& play materials, and writing supplies) to support their children's learning, foster interactions, and strengthen early relationships, everyone in the home will benefit. Given the materials and additional support and knowledge (delivered by the home visitor) mothers will be more empowered in their role as their children's first teacher, the relationships between mothers and their children will be strengthened, and their daughters' and sons' overall language, literacy, and human interactions will be strengthened. The little girls in the home are also able to see a positive role model for how to interact with their children as mothers in the future. Adding the materials and information into their homes at this early age sets this generation and those to come up to do better in life.
How are recipients identified or selected to receive services? Is financial need considered?
The recipients of the PoWeR! Book Bags program are those who are enrolled in the Health Department's Maternal Infant Health Program. These are all low-income families. Families must qualify for Medicaid to participate.
Because language development begins at birth, PoWeR! seeks to begin relationships with mothers and their children as early as possible. Research shows a correlation between income, the amount of print material in a home and reading proficiency. A word gap and an education equity gap exist between children from print 'rich' environments (homes with lots of reading and writing supplies) and those from print ‘poor’ environments. Children from print rich homes enter school with a larger, more developed vocabulary than those from homes absent of print materials. Our work is aimed at increasing at-home access to materials to close this gap and empower mothers to strengthen both their relationships and interactions in the family and their children's literacy & life outcomes.
What do you hope to achieve? What difference will this make in the lives of women and girls?
How will this project meet Hestia's mission statement?
The PoWeR! Book Bags program for mothers and their children, which is delivered monthly to the recipients of the Maternal Infant Health Program through their local health department, is specifically designed to empower mothers to frequently engage with their children in a thoughtful manner to help them grow a deeper positive relationship with them as they stimulate their intellectual, physical, and social development. By providing materials for the mothers to play, write, and read with their children AND through the information and support supplied during home visits to help foster these meaningful interactions, BOTH the mothers and their children will benefit! All parties will grow in their relationships with each other. For the children, this strong early relational health will serve as the foundation for all future accomplishments in life -- improving academic, social, emotional, and physical outcomes! AND the research tells us that the mothers also benefit from this, with better well being --- improved mental and physical health. Additionally, when the language, literacy, and interactions grow, especially in these first five years of life, the children are more likely to become successful, contributing members of society.
How will you evaluate or measure your success:
We will count the number of books and PoWeR! Language & Literacy filled bags which are delivered. Every child in the home will select a book each month, along with the filled bag once a year AND the family will receive a bag of 10 building blocks. We expect to deliver 3,095 books and 270 PoWeR! Language & Literacy Bags into the homes of the families at MIHP in Charlevoix & Emmet Counties via the visiting health professionals of the health department.
Immediate success will be shown in the numbers & stories from partners.
A survey will be given to both the health professionals & to the families served to help us better understand how the materials have been used and how we can better serve the mothers & their children.
Long term success is healthy, independent, articulate women in society.
Grant Project Budget Form
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