AFC’s Who, What, and Why
05/31/24
If you were to ask an Action for Children staff member who we serve, they’d likely say we serve parents, guardians, and early childhood educators. It’s a great, simple answer — but it goes a lot deeper than that opening line!
In 2023, Action for Children helped nearly 4,000 families find quality child care that fit their needs. We provided parent education and workshops to 1,765 parents and guardians that impacted over 2,668 children in their households. We completed nearly 1,300 Help Me Grow home visits and connected 14,348 parents to Help Me Grow statewide services, improving maternal and infant outcomes.
In 2023, Action for Children also paid out nearly $500,000 to 159 child care programs for reaching milestones that improved the quality of care they provided to their communities. We helped child care providers serve 413,773 nutritious meals and snacks to children through the Child and Adult Care Food Program — and get reimbursed for doing it. We offered over 1,800 trainings, networking and coaching sessions and 4,600 hours of ongoing coaching and technical assistance to child care professionals to help them better understand children’s development and grow their programs.
Since last July, Action for Children has attended over 97 outreach events in addition to holding our own events that have collectively reached thousands of families in our community. We’ve published multiple reports, engaged in community conversations, and advocated for the people we serve in a myriad of different public spaces. And this is just a limited snapshot of the services we provide and the impact those services have.
Simply put, Action for Children provides free support, guidance, and resources to the adults who make the biggest impact on their lives — their parents, caregivers, and teachers because we believe in the power of transformation.
The environments that we provide for our children can transform their lives, and there’s a lot of pressure to get it right. But there’s no manual for parenting and no such thing as a perfect parent. Being an educator is hard and being the kind who makes an impact isn’t an exact science. Still, ask any parent or child care provider who walks through the doors of 78 Jefferson Avenue, and they’ll tell you that having a trusted partner, resource, and cheerleader like Action for Children makes all the difference in the world.
When parents feel equipped and empowered to be their best for their children, it changes the way they parent for the better. They find productive strategies for co-parenting, support during their pregnancies and beyond, and take on the rewarding roles of becoming foster, kinship, and adoptive parents. They learn to listen more, they discover that they can be their child’s first and best teacher, and they build even stronger bonds and relationships with their children.
Likewise, when child care professionals know that they have a partner to turn to, a team to encourage them, and resources to guide them, they flourish. They stay open. They increase their credentials. They train their staff to be even better, more responsive educators. They advocate for the families they serve. They open new child care programs that make an impact on even more young children in their communities.
You see, when we support the adults who make an impact on children’s lives, we support the growth and development of the next generation. Every child deserves the opportunity to thrive, and we’re committed to ensuring that happens.
Action for Children equips and empowers communities that are prepared to nurture the success of young children and help them thrive. This is what we take action for — and this is what you can be a part of.
By supporting, empowering, and advocating for the adults who make the biggest impact on children’s lives, we can transform the lives of children in central Ohio. But we can’t do it alone. Your generosity helps keep our programs free for providers and educators and dream big about how we can expand our services to reach more people.
With our “Action For” campaign, we’re making it really simple for you to make an impact. All you have to do is make a recurring or one-time gift to Action for Children here. And thanks to an anonymous donor who has matched our campaign goal up to $10,000, your gift today goes even further!
No matter the amount, your donation will make a meaningful difference in the lives of those we serve. Together, we can transform lives and create a brighter future for all children.
Author: Christiana Sallard, Marketing & Communications Manager
Action for Children is grateful for the many funders and generous donors who make our programs possible.
Action for Children is the local child care resource and referral agency for central Ohio, and is committed to assuring quality early learning experiences for all children. Our services focus on transforming the lives of children by supporting the everyday heroes who most influence our children’s early growth; caregivers, educators, parents, and guardians. Learn More.