This funding will help expand regional coordinated enrollment efforts that streamline and simplify access to comprehensive support services for vulnerable children and families in the Roanoke Valley. The PDG B-5 initiative is designed to accelerate the Commonwealth’s development of an equitable early childhood system.
“Families use this system for finding childcare so they can get to work or provide their children with opportunities to be better prepared for kindergarten,” said Vivien McMahan, Vice President of Community Impact at United Way of Roanoke Valley. “But that’s not always the end of the story. Many families need additional support and we want to use this system to help them reach their goals by connecting them with community resources that will improve their lives.”
“The review team was very impressed with the United Way of Roanoke Valley’s plans to utilize a coordinated enrollment system to better support families in accessing critical services during this especially challenging time,” said Kathy Glazer, president of the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation. “They articulated a thoughtful vision for how this innovation would address community needs and inequities, especially for their most vulnerable populations such as families with infants or toddlers, and those living in child care deserts.”
Innovation funding awards were made to participating communities that have demonstrated success in their PDG B-5 efforts. Awardees produced plans with specific, measurable and realistic innovation objectives for the award period of October 14, 2020 to June 30, 2021. For more information, visit www.vecf.org.
