DEKALB AND GWINNETT COUNTIES RECEIVE NEARLY $1 MILLION TO IMPROVE LEARNING READINESS OF YOUNG CHILDR

October 21, 2003

OCTOBER 21, 2003 -- United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta through Smart Start Georgia has been awarded the Early Learning Opportunities Act Federal Grant totaling $911,412 for Lighting the SPARK--
ATLANTA ? United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta through Smart Start Georgia has been awarded the Early Learning Opportunities Act (ELOA) Federal Grant. The total award, $911,412, will be used for Lighting the SPARK, a program to build on statewide and local initiatives to significantly improve the learning readiness of young children in diverse, complex metropolitan communities. Lighting the SPARK targets Central DeKalb (specifically the communities of Avondale Estates, Clarkston, Decatur, and Scottdale), bordered by Lawrenceville Highway (north), Glenwood Avenue (south), Hairston Road (east), and Columbia Drive (west). 
Lighting the SPARK, led by the Central DeKalb County ELOA Local Council, will address a number of early care and education initiatives. "The grant will promote learning readiness, effective parenting, early childhood literacy, and access to quality early learning opportunities," said Sharen Hausmann, director of Smart Start Georgia. ?Lighting the SPARK is a natural fit for Smart Start Georgia as we continue to work toward having every child in Georgia ready to succeed by time he or she enters kindergarten. Smart Start Georgia is the crucial link between birth and formal education and later success in life."
Earlier this year, United Way through Smart Start Georgia was awarded a $4 million W.K. Kellogg Foundation grant to implement Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids (SPARK) Georgia, a five-year initiative in Norcross and Central DeKalb Counties. Lighting the SPARK expands on the SPARK Georgia grant to address specific needs identified by local community leaders. 

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Lighting the SPARK works with infants and toddlers who are in diverse early learning settings. Grant participants will be allies in SPARK Georgia, which serves and tracks vulnerable children ages three to six years old. The ELOA grant makes it possible for 175 children and their families to be served and monitored for a total of eight years through both initiatives. 
"Most people in Atlanta still think of United Way as an organization that just runs an annual fundraising campaign," said Bill Garrett, executive director of Smart Start Georgia and chief operating officer for United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta. "This is a perfect example of the ways in which United Way and its various community partners, such as Smart Start Georgia, leverage additional resources for the community year-round. Last year, United Way leveraged nearly $100 million in resources for the Atlanta region."
About Smart Start Georgia
Smart Start Georgia, previously known as the Georgia Early Learning Initiative (GELI), is dedicated to creating and implementing innovative programs and outreach initiatives to improve the quality of early care and education for all children ages birth through five throughout the state, promoting lifetime learning and ensuring greater achievement throughout the child's education and beyond. Smart Start Georgia is a public/private partnership among the State of Georgia, the Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation, United Ways of Georgia, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, and more than 40 additional supporting organizations.

For additional information on Smart Start Georgia programs or how to become involved, please call 1.877.STARTGA or visitwww.smartstartga.org. 

Stephanie Woolbright
Edelman
404.262.3000
stephanie.woolbright@edelman.com

Amanda Bolster
Smart Start Georgia
404.527.7307
abolster@unitedwayatlanta.org