United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley received $52,500 in funding from the COVID-19 Block Grant to support kindergarten readiness and provide basic needs support and personal protective equipment to families, schools and nonprofit partner agencies in Carbon County.

Jill Pereira, vice president, education and impact, UWGLV, said, “With the addition of these new funds, United Way is investing more than $250,000 into families and organizations affected by COVID-19 in our county this year.”

Prior to the pandemic, research showed that 43% of Carbon County households faced financial hardship every day. Since COVID-19, Carbon schools have reported significant numbers of people in need of emergency food supplies and meals as families are struggling with obtaining basic supplies such as food, paper products and disinfectant spray. As Carbon County’s local nonprofit partners see a growing need for their services, they also have reported that there will not be adequate resources to support families.

United Way will use the new grant funding to expand services to students and families through the CarbonCorps in-school mentoring program and the Waterford Upstart Early Learning program.

One of the main responsibilities that CarbonCorps members will now have during their service year is connecting at-risk families to community-based organizations to provide PPE such as cleaning supplies and face masks - two items important for stopping the spread of COVID-19. The grant funds will be used to purchase gift cards to local grocery stores where families will be able to use them to purchase essentials such as food and cleaning supplies.

“Our students can’t learn if their basic needs aren’t met. Our CarbonCorps mentors are building relationships with families in the school, and we want to ensure they have access to supportive resources for families, like gift cards, that allow for a quick response,” said Gina Nichols, assistant director, education and rural communities, UWGLV.

According to Pre-K for PA, 61%, or 600, of the 1,000 children eligible for publicly funded Pre-K in Carbon County did not have access. The benefits of high-quality Pre- K include: increased graduation rates, reduced grade repetition, reduced special education placements, preservation of taxpayer dollars, reduced crime and incarceration and stronger economies overall.

The digital Waterford Upstart Early Learning program helps prepare 4-year-olds, who don’t have access to Pre-K, to enter Kindergarten - at no cost to participants.

“With these funds, we will be able to enroll 20 Carbon County 4-year-olds into the program, with all materials and parent coaching activities included, and ensure our children are ready for Kindergarten in fall 2021,” said Angela Zanelli of Lehigh Valley Reads.

This Kindergarten-readiness, early-learning program runs 15 minutes a day, five days per week and includes: in-home coaching and support give parents early education resources and the tools they need to guide their children to academic success, reliable, high speed internet access, a laptop and Early Learning Software.