Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities Receives $42,375 from Noble Charitable Trust to Establish Three New Chapters; Create Awareness Events for Low-Income Families
Westport, CT (PRWEB) December 15, 2015 -- Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities, Inc. (SKLD) received an award for $42,375 from the John H. and Ethel G. Noble Charitable Trust. The monies will help establish three more chapters in Connecticut, joining those launching in Hartford and New Haven. The funds will also help SKLD, a nonprofit, to provide administrative support for its chapters and essential information to low-income families via educational programs.
The $42,375 grant from the Noble Charitable Trust will enable Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities to expand its reach in Connecticut, with new chapters targeted for three communities in 2016. Earlier this fall, SKLD, a nonprofit organization based in Westport, started the process of launching new chapters in Hartford and New Haven.
The launching of any chapter involves the identifying of highly regarded professionals and parent chapter leaders. Local public outreach via activities and events is critical as well as the tracking of metrics, e.g., program participants, contacts and sponsors.
Researching changes in parents' attitudes and expectations for their children will help each SKLD chapter measure the impact of increased awareness and educational activities in its local community.
Further, the Noble Charitable Trust grant will allow SKLD to provide structural and administrative support for all its chapters, including a Liaison Manager; the ongoing training of chapter leaders; database set-up, web and email support.
Each new chapter is expected to require resources, such as guidance with development, recruitment and program efforts, within the first six months and up to several years before becoming self-sustaining. As the parent organization, SKLD will provide these resources.
The Noble Charitable Trust grant will also help SKLD to create plans, materials and templates for two community events, specifically promoted and accessible to low-income families. The events will focus on increasing awareness and giving information to parents about
• Pre-literacy skills children need in order to enter kindergarten prepared to learn how to read;
• Learning challenges facing children who may be currently struggling in school;
• Navigation process for accessing services, required by law, for children with learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, dyscalculia or auditory processing disorder (APD).
Provisional chapters of SKLD will be required to conduct at least one of these community events before qualifying for acceptance as an established SKLD Chapter, according to Jane Ross, Executive Director and founder of Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities, Inc.
“We’ve set ambitious goals for 2016,” reported Jane Ross, a Westport resident who founded SKLD fifteen years ago. “First, we want to establish three new chapters in Connecticut, plus we want to support two community events, specifically aimed to benefit our low-income families.”
She added. “We are very pleased that the Noble Charitable Trust grant gives us the monies we need to accomplish our goals. Moreover, the grant will allow us to explore the feasibility of setting up chapters or an alternative vehicle to serve parents in less populous areas. We expect the year 2016 to be a very rewarding and exciting year for all of us at SKLD.”
Betty Granata is Chapter Development Manager for SKLD’s national outreach. She conducts initial meetings with parents and community leaders. She also identifies potential chapter leaders and sets up networking events for professionals, among other things.
“I’ve been very encouraged in speaking with many parents in our prospective SKLD Chapter locations,” said Betty Granata, SKLD’s Chapter Development Manager with over 25 years of experience in the marketing and communications field.
She added. “What’s exhilarating is that these parents are very excited to see Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities come into their communities.”
Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities, Inc.
Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities, Inc. is a Westport-based nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering the parents of children with learning disabilities (LD) and attention deficit disorders (ADHD) via its educational programs, award-winning website and blog, and free e-newsletter at http://www.SmartKidswithLD.org. The organization also educates the public about these children’s gifts and talents. Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy is an Honorary Board member and Henry Winkler, Golden Globe award-winning actor, director and author, serves as the organization’s Honorary Chairman.
For more information, visit http://www.SmartKidswithLD.org.
Jane Ross, Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities, +1 (203) 226-6831, [email protected]
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