Featured Success

The Foundation makes a difference in the lives of individuals by granting funds to programs and working with them to ensure they are successful. Below, you will find stories and feedback of several grantees and the children they serve.

Labels for Education Child Care Grants

Name: The Purple Pelican Preschool/Daycare
Funded Through: The Foundation’s Labels for Education Child Care Grants Program
Amount Received: 50,000 credits
Materials Bought: Play and Learn Equipment

• Silver rider trike
• Fire Engine for two
• Tape Recorder
• Huffy Hopper
• Emergency Light/Radio
• Eyewitness/Living Earth Video-Butterflies and Moths
• Mighty Magnet

The following is from a thank you letter by Ginny Brown, a child care provider in Richland Washington.

The opportunity to get extra things for my child
care center is wonderful. It was so wonderful and
generous to have the opportunity to select special
items for the children because so often money is used
to replenish day to day items.

I received one Silver Rider Trike and two Fire
Engines for Two. The toys are very sturdy and the
children love using them for outdoor play. The
Magnet is wonderful and used with our science
program. The tape recorder and headphones are used
so children can listen to books independently while I
am working with a larger group. All of the items are
an asset to our program and we love everything that
we’ve got.

Thank you again,

Ginny Brown
The Purple Pelican Preschool/Daycare
Richland WA

Washington Scholarships for Child Care Professionals

Michelle Ihlen is a recipient of scholarship -  Washington Scholarships for Child Care Professionals, a program the Foundation has funded since 2003. The early learning scholarships offer childcare providers the opportunity to go back to school to sharpen their childcare skills.

For Michelle, this opportunity opened her eyes to several new approaches and techniques around childcare that she was not previously aware of.

In one of her most recent classes, Michelle learned the importance of creating art projects that place emphasis on the process of creating art rather than the final product. Michelle describes this “as one of the many newfound educational experiences” that, as she puts it, “contributes to the every day learning of the kids I care for.”

Michelle is currently attending Olympic College in Bremerton and provides professional childcare for 4 families in Kitsap County.