DALLAS (1080 KRLD)- The Dallas Foundation, a non-profit that works with community groups in the city, is giving a $750,000 grant to the Child Poverty Action Lab to reduce childhood poverty.
Child Poverty Action Lab hopes to reduce childhood poverty by 50% over the next generation, and the grant is the largest given by the Dallas Foundation to date.
"Inter-generational poverty is one of the biggest challenges plaguing our community and holding back so many of our residents from reaching their fullest potential," says Dallas Foundation President and CEO Matthew Randazzo.
Child Poverty Action Lab plans to use the grant to launch a "Birth to 3 Care Team."
"It's just so critical that we think about that child's first three years because it is truly a foundation for their success for the rest of their lifetime," Randazzo says. "If we can have this shift and we can think about what it is going to take to lift a generation of children out of poverty, we've got to start early. We have to ensure they have access to quality care, language development and brain development that's going to be required for them to eventually break that cycle of poverty."
More than 100,000 children in Dallas live in families below the poverty line. According to Dallas ISD, 90% of students are considered "economically disadvantaged." About 38% live in poverty.
By reaching kids from economically disadvantaged homes early, Randazzo says kids are more likely to read and do math at grade level when they reach third grade. In turn, he says those kids are more likely to succeed in high school and then at college or in job training.
"Instead of remediating the learning gaps kids may have by the time they reach middle school and high school, we're setting them up for stability and success," he says.
In turn, Randazzo says reaching kids early can strengthen the region's economy by providing a skilled workforce.
"We know a rising tide lifts all boats and ultimately creates a much stronger, robust economy that closes some of the equity gaps we've seen here in Dallas," he says.
More information about the Child Poverty Action Lab can be found here. Information about the Dallas Foundation is available here.