Grant to create early-learning opportunities for Tri-County students

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - A group of Lowcountry organizations says a $5,000 grant will benefit underserved children in the Tri-County area with new educational opportunities.

The Tri-County Play Collaborative received the grant from Roper St. Francis Healthcare’s Community Investment Program.

“It gives us the opportunity to expand and increase the number of children and families we can reach so we’ve piloted several, all of these programs last year and the fall.” Tri-County Play Collaborative Director Ashley Brailsford said. “So this continued funding allows us to continue to continue to provide those programs and reach more families.”

The grant will boost three programs designed for children up to 5 years old: Swimmerships, Farm Babies and Birthing Justice.

Swimmerships are scholarships designed to reduce drowning rates for children of color.

The Farm Babies program allows children at a young age to engage in play experiences that are culturally relevant and explore ancestral farming techniques to produce healthy food.

The Birthing Justice program supports Black and Latinx pregnancies in partnership with Berkeley County’s Beloved Early Education and Care Collective, which provides a trained assistant for young families during and after pregnancies.

The collaborative creates early education through outdoor and cultural learning play events that involve parents, The group also provides health programs for underserved families and their children. The program serves predominantly Black children as well as children with disabilities.

Brailsford said the grant allows the programs to continue after a positive turnout last year.

Brailsford encourages the public to become a “Wonder Funder,” by donating at this link to the Tri-County Play Collaborative.

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