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Foundation for Child Development

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The Foundation for Child Development (FCD) is a national, private philanthropy dedicated to the principle that all families should have the social and material resources to raise their children to be healthy, educated and productive members of their communities.

FCD seeks to understand children, particularly the disadvantaged, and to promote their well-being. We believe that families, schools, nonprofit organizations, businesses and government at all levels share complementary responsibilities in the critical task of raising new generations.

History and name

FCD was incorporated as a voluntary agency in New York in 1899, and established as the Association for the Aid of Crippled Children (AACC) in 1908. Voluntary contributions from the public supported AACC until 1944, when substantial funds were received from the estate of Milo M. Belding to honor his wife, Annie K. Belding.

In recognition of its evolving program and of its status as a grantmaking organization, the Association changed its name in 1972 to the Foundation for Child Development.

Programs

PreK-3rd Education is a national initiative to transform how children ages three to eight learn in schools during these most critical years. The initiative focuses on building strong connections among the learning experiences of PreK, Kindergarten, First, Second, and Third Grades by requiring that educational standards, curricula, assessment and professional development are strongly aligned among those grades.

To further secure a solid foundation for children’s learning, FCD created a Dual-Generation Strategy in which children participate in high-quality primary education (PreK-3rd) while their parents participate in programs to develop skills necessary to secure jobs in high-demand industries. The programs are augmented with family and peer supports to ensure long-term academic and economic success for both parents and their children.

Young Scholars Program (YSP) provides support for early career scholars who conduct research in an emerging field focused on the education, health, and well-being of the 25 percent of American children whose parents are immigrants

The Child Well-Being Index (CWI) is the nation’s most comprehensive measure of the quality-of-life for children and youth in the United States. It combines national data across seven domains—Family Economic Well-Being, Health, Safe/Risky Behavior, Educational Attainment, Community Engagement, Social Relationships, and Emotional/Spiritual Well-Being—to capture elements of well-being not included in primarily economic measures. The CWI alerts policymakers and the public to child and family needs requiring policy attention, based on trends from 1975 to the present.

References