Largest Program Grant in Nonprofit’s 33-Year History

Our House has received a grant of $1,000,000 for high-quality early learning programs for young children experiencing homelessness.

This transformational gift will provide early childhood education scholarships and mental and behavioral healthcare services to young children over a period of three years. In addition, the funding will allow Our House to invest in leadership capacity building for its staff.

“For children, the trauma of homelessness can cause developmental delays and behavioral health challenges that become long-term barriers to learning and career success,” says Tyese Lawyer, Our House President and CEO. “That is why high-quality early education programs and early intervention services like the ones supported by this grant are so important, as early interventions help mitigate the negative effects of homelessness and break the cycle.”

Our House’s early childhood education program serves children ages six weeks to five years old whose families are experiencing homelessness. Each year, more than 200 children receive personalized lessons; nutritious meals; regular developmental assessments, health and early intervention services; and ongoing enrichment activities at Our House. The program serves children who are most at-risk for poor educational outcomes, and is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children and Quality Rated.

The grant will provide scholarships to fully cover the program costs for children not covered by Head Start, allowing Our House to continue to offer these services at no cost to parents.

Funding will also allow Our House to contract with inclusions specialists from The Adaptive Learning Center to provide daily intervention services for children with special developmental or behavioral needs.

“Through this generous gift, The Goizueta Foundation has invested in the futures of hundreds of Atlanta’s most vulnerable children,” says President Lawyer. “We honor and are deeply grateful for the Foundation’s continued partnership with Our House, and its commitment to expanding opportunity through education.”