MCPC announces grant award

Solomon Valley Economic Development held the monthly meeting on Thursday in the North Central Regional Planning Commission basement meeting room. Mitchell County Partnership for Children (MCPC) Executive Director Brady Dean, accompanied by Kelly Shamburg, made a presentation to the group. The pair announced that MCPC was successful in being awarded a Kansas Early Childhood Block Grant (ECBG) through the Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund for a three year cycle.

The grant will benefit early childhood education which makes a long term local investment in children which is statistically shown to correlate with increased graduation rates, home ownership, lower incarceration rates, improved economic conditions and even longer lasting marriages. Other studies also show organizations like the MCPC reduce the need for special education and repeating grades in school.

The grants will benefit Mitchell, Jewell and Lincoln Counties as the MCPC provides vital services to five area preschools in USD 273 Beloit, USD 272 Rock Hills and USD 298 Lincoln. As well as St. John’s and the Mitchell County Early Learning Center. The MCPC has five full time employees, but with 35 people working for them in some capacity. They provide services to over 300 children and their families annually through programs such as Social Emotional Lessons, Professional Development, Supporting Social and Emotional Competence in Young Children, Parents as Teachers, Parent Training and Support and more.

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