Collective Santa Barbara County Effort
$3.5 million
Santa Barbara County funders (Orfalea Foundation, James S. Bower Foundation, Santa Barbara Foundation, Hutton Parker Foundation and the Towbes Family Foundation) pledge a total of $3.5 million to a portfolio of initiatives that will create and expand quality early education through a place-based comprehensive approach aimed at significantly improving school readiness in targeted communities. This pledge will expand access to high-quality early childhood education that supports the development of cognitive and social-emotional skills and prepares children for kindergarten, as well as support family- and center-based quality accreditation. In addition, County funders aim to create a network of 40 high-quality early childhood centers that model innovative Preschool Food and Outdoor Classroom practices and provide high-quality preschool services to at-risk children and their families.