Children's Opportunity Fund at the Greater Washington Community Foundation transitions to become independent nonprofit and focus on equitable early care and education
ROCKVILLE, MD (July 15, 2022) – On Tuesday, July 12, 2022, Montgomery County leaders announced the launch of the Montgomery County Children’s Opportunity Alliance, a nonprofit entity that will connect partners in support of equitable outcomes for children from birth through age 5. Watch this short video about the press conference where this announcement was made.
The Children’s Opportunity Alliance will be the Early Care and Education Coordinating Entity for Montgomery County. In this role, the organization will convene county government, community-based organizations, schools, the philanthropic community, local businesses, and families of kids 0-5 to provide high-quality and accessible early learning opportunities for young children and their families.
The Children’s Opportunity Alliance is a new independent nonprofit organization that transitioned from the Children’s Opportunity Fund, a public-private impact initiative created by the Greater Washington Community Foundation, Montgomery County Government and Montgomery County Public Schools. Anna Hargrave, Executive Director for Montgomery County at The Community Foundation, said this organization’s new independent status is a successful milestone for local public-private partnerships.
“The launch of the Children’s Opportunity Alliance is a testament to the vision of many public and private partners who are committed to the success of our community’s children,” Hargrave said. “We are proud of the role we played in incubating and nurturing this initiative during its formative years. We’re excited for the Alliance’s next phase of growth, and look forward to supporting its vitally important work so all Montgomery County children and their families can thrive.”
While the Children’s Opportunity Alliance will finalize focus areas over time, the organization will initially prioritize three goals:
Convening early childhood stakeholders: Connect partners to eliminate barriers to accessing quality services for children 0-5
Providing equitable access: Identify gaps that exist in childcare and Pre-K systems and increase access to high-quality programming for low-income children
Advocating for evidence-based programs: Develop solutions to obstacles such as language, cultural factors, transportation and time constraints so that all families can engage with quality early childhood programs
Stay tuned for more information on our new website, which will be released soon.
About the Montgomery County Children’s Opportunity Alliance
The Montgomery County Children’s Opportunity Alliance connects partners to build a high-quality and equitable early childhood system for kids from birth through age 5 in Montgomery County, Maryland. This coalition coordinates county government, schools, philanthropy, community-based organizations and local businesses to forge opportunities and close the opportunity gap for Montgomery County’s historically marginalized children and their families.
About the Greater Washington Community Foundation
The Greater Washington Community Foundation ignites the power of philanthropy, catalyzes community impact, and responds to critical needs. For five decades, The Community Foundation has connected caring donors with nonprofits creating lasting change in DC, Montgomery County, Northern Virginia and Prince George’s County. As the region’s largest local funder, we have invested more than $1.4 billion to build equitable, just and thriving communities where everyone prospers.