Tri-County Cradle to Career receives $15,000 grant from Wells Fargo for recovery work initiative program
July 17, 2020
Tri-County Cradle to Career (TCCC) has received a $15,000 grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation to help support its long-term COVID-19 recovery and resiliency plan.
“Wells Fargo is our first corporate investor in the recovery and resiliency work we are doing to support children and families as they prepare to return to school in the fall in this post COVID-19 world,” said TCCC CEO Phyllis Martin. “We thank them for partnering with us and committing funds so we can address the needs of black, brown, and low-income students impacted by the pandemic.”
Almost 115,000 students in grades 4K-12 in the Tri-County region have been out of school due to the pandemic and will have missed at least a full quarter of regular instruction once summer begins. Martin said that although vitual learning was taking place, data shows the loss of in-person instruction, disruption to early childhood education, and out-of-school-time opportunities and enrichment will create learning loss for thousands of students across the region.
The Wells Fargo Foundation has accelerated its nationwide charitable giving of $175 million in donations to support domestic and global COVID-19 responses, such as the work being done by TCCC. Their committed funds help address food, shelter, small business, and housing stability, and assist public health organizations.
“Wells Fargo fully believes supporting education is one of the most important investments we can make in our country’s future,” said Wells Fargo Private Bank Senior Philanthropic Specialist Debra Rice. “We are thrilled to work with organizations like Tri-County Cradle to Career to help create academic achievement for low-income students affected by COVID-19, and we are committed to providing children with every possible resource to achieve long-term success.”
Martin said there are currently more than 500 nonprofits providing family support and academic enrichment in the tri-county area, narrowing the opportunity gap for 67,000 of the most vulnerable children and families every year. COVID-19, however, has threatened the survival and viability of these organizations. With the community’s nonprofit, early childhood education, and public education sectors focused on immediate needs (response), TCCC is pivoting its focus on addressing future needs – the recovery and resilience.
Tri-County Cradle to Career works with the community on the life-changing and system-building efforts of its nonprofit health and education partners, convening the community on four on-going critical interventions: assessing real-time data; influencing policies, practices and systems that serve as barriers to student success; identifying and supporting resilience programming; and pursuing resource development.
As part of the overall recovery plan, TCCC will reconstitute its Community Leadership Council to focus on recovery and resiliency, and a Resource Development Task Force to develop and finalize the framework for shared recovery goals. TCCC is partnering with the Institute for Child Success to examine the impact of COVID-19 and the resulting economic changes in the tri-county region not only in response to COVID-19, but also to ensure resilience in future crises.
Tri-County Cradle to Career Collaborative (TCCC) is a Charleston-based, non-profit organization committed to closing the academic achievement gap for all children in the tri-county region, from cradle to career, with an emphasis on those who are impacted the most — black and brown children, and those living in poverty.
