The Caplan Foundation for Early Childhood supports innovative, creative projects and programs with the potential to significantly enhance the development, health, safety, education, and/or quality of life of children from birth through age five.

The foundation provides funding in the areas of early childhood welfare, early childhood education and play, and parenting education.

1) Early Childhood Welfare: Children can only reach their full potential when all aspects of their development — intellectual, emotional, and physical — are optimally supported. Providing a safe and nurturing environment for infants and preschoolers is essential, as is imparting to them the skills of social living in a culturally diverse world. To that end, the foundation supports programs that research best child-rearing practices and identify models that can provide creative, caring environments designed to ensure that all children thrive.

2) Early Childhood Education and Play: Research shows that children need to be stimulated as well as nurtured, early in life, if they are to succeed in school, work, and life. That preparation relates to every aspect of a child’s development, from birth to age 5, and everywhere a child learns — at home, in childcare settings, and in preschool. The foundation seeks to improve the quality of both early childhood teaching and learning through the development of innovative curricula and research-based pedagogical standards, as well as the design of imaginative play materials and learning environments.

3) Parenting Education: To help parents create nurturing environments for their children, the foundation supports programs that teach parents about developmental psychology, cultural child-rearing differences, pedagogy, issues of health, and prenatal care and diet, as well programs that provide both cognitive and emotional support to parents.

Letters of Intent must be received no later than September 30. Upon review, selected applicants will be invited to submit a full application.

See the Caplan Foundation for Early Childhood website website for complete program guidelines and application procedures.