GreenLight Brings ParentChild+ to Baltimore

Evidence-based nonprofit kindergarten-readiness program focuses on early literacy and social-emotional skills with children, their families and caregivers

Baltimore, MD – February 15, 2024 – GreenLight Fund Baltimore announces an investment in ParentChild+’s expansion to Baltimore. ParentChild+, a national nonprofit based in New York, is a parent engagement and school readiness model operating in 17 states that provides families and home based child care providers with the skills and tools to ensure their children achieve their greatest potential (www.parentchildplus.org). The model fills a community-identified unmet need, complements the work of other available services in Baltimore and will reach hundreds of families each year.

GreenLight Baltimore’s decision to bring ParentChild+ to Baltimore is the result of a year-long selection process conducted in partnership with the community and local Selection Advisory Council, a diverse group of leaders, experts and residents. 50% of 3- and 4-year-olds in Maryland are not enrolled in any educational program according to the Maryland Family Network. Conversations with community members elevated the need for expanded services and resources to help families prepare young children for success in school.

Ryan Turner, Executive Director of GreenLight Baltimore explained, “Preparing children for kindergarten is critical to laying a foundation for them to achieve future success. Every child deserves a fair and equitable start despite their zip code, so we vetted dozens of organizations to find a program with the most impactful results that would integrate best with the strong programs already here in Baltimore.”

An increasing number of families and providers will participate in ParentChild+’s one-on-one and home based child care multi-lingual models each year, reaching more than 400 participants annually as of 2028 across both models including 300+ children, their caregivers, and 45 home based child care providers. Early Learning Specialists from the community will meet with parents and their 16-48 months-old children twice a week to strengthen social-emotional skills and prepare children for school success. In addition, ParentChild+ will deploy their home-based child care model to work with family child care educators in Baltimore, extending supports to other key adults caring for children before they enter kindergarten.

Crickett Woloson, Director of the Elbow Fund and GreenLight Baltimore Selection Advisory Council Member added, “It became clear during GreenLight’s process that honoring and supporting home and other day care providers could play an important role in addressing the gap around kindergarten readiness and was a priority for Baltimore. I’m excited to be part of bringing ParentChild+ to our city and am optimistic that this will have long-term impact on outcomes for many children and families.”

GreenLight expects the same or better results in Baltimore to what ParentChild+ has seen in other communities: children exiting the ParentChild+ program are 50% more likely to be prepared for school and score two times higher on social-emotional skills measures than their socio-economic peers. They also enter school performing on average 10 months above their chronological age and are 50% less likely to be referred for special education services by third grade.

“Children only have 1,800 days from birth to the start of kindergarten. Each of these days is critical to their school readiness and success,” explained Malkia Singleton Ofori-Agyekum, a Maryland native who serves as the Mid-Atlantic Regional Director for ParentChild+.  “Far too often, families living in under-resourced communities experience limited access to quality early learning supports. As a result, too many children are behind before they set foot in a classroom and struggle to catch up. I’m excited to bring this program to my hometown to partner with organizations, families, and caregivers to offer a path to school and life success for Baltimore’s children.”

GreenLight Baltimore and ParentChild+ will partner with local community-based organizations to implement the program, particularly in areas of high need and immigrant communities throughout the city. New Song Community Learning Center in West Baltimore will offer the ParentChild+ program beginning this spring. New Song will roll out the home based child care model in the Sandtown-Winchester community in the fall.

Jayson Green, Executive Director of New Song Community Learning Center, is enthusiastic about this opportunity, “As an academic and resource hub for the community, we are thrilled to bring ParentChild+’s effective program to the young children and parents in our community. This is an opportunity for a dramatic leap in school success.“

GreenLight Fund will provide multi-year financial and on-the-ground support, continue to collaborate on building local partnerships, and take a seat on their local advisory board to ensure ParentChild+’s local success and sustainability. Together, the organizations are working to solidify additional partners to extend the program’s reach to other parts of the city and secure incremental funding to grow the impact of the program locally.

ParentChild+ is GreenLight Baltimore’s second investment. Their first investment, Point Source Youth, works to prevent and end homelessness for young people by equipping them with the resources and wrap-around services they need. GreenLight Baltimore is supported by a generous coalition of 100+ co-founding investors.