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New York City鈥檚 Robin Hood Foundation is known for applying rigorous metrics to evaluate the poverty-fighting impact of its grants, so it鈥檚 big news that today it鈥檚 awarding $25,000 in no-strings-attached funding for 50 organizations that support parents and caregivers of young children. Winners can do whatever they want with the money, and they never have to send Robin Hood a grant report.

is the latest innovation from Robin Hood鈥檚 launched in 2016. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a significant departure from the way Robin Hood normally approaches grantmaking,鈥� says Kelvin Chan, Robin Hood鈥檚 managing director of early childhood. 鈥淭his approach is helping us to discover highly diverse community-based programs outside of our existing network that go beyond what we consider 鈥榯raditional鈥� early child development.鈥�

More than 350 organizations applied鈥攎any of which, Chan notes, don鈥檛 exclusively serve young children. Applications came from all five boroughs, with annual budgets ranging from less than $10,000 to more than $25 million. Early Learning Nation spoke with two inspiring and very different FUEL for 50 awardees.

Reading鈥攁nd Laughing鈥攊n the Barbershop

Alvin Irby received his first grant while still attending high school in Little Rock, Ark. The local Barnes & Noble bookstore gave him $810 to design a reading incentive program, and ever since that early encouraging sign, the founder of has never looked back.

鈥淩eading is a radical form of empowering people to control their lives,鈥� he asserts. A self-described born teacher (, by the way) Irby taught in the Bronx and Harlem, worked for the Boys鈥� Club of New York and earned his master鈥檚 in public administration before establishing his nonprofit, which is focused on combating an alarming statistic鈥�85% of Black boys in fourth grade are not proficient in reading.

As its name suggests, Barbershop Books connects reading to a male-centered space. 鈥淏oys see their barbers more than they see their dad,鈥� Irby says. The enterprise has grown to 39 cities, with 20 sites in New York City.

鈥淗ow can we inspire children to identify as readers?鈥� Irby asks. 鈥淗ow can we ensure that they want to read?鈥� He believes that most well-intentioned efforts to help them love reading are misguided and often have the paradoxical effect of decreasing their motivation. 鈥淜ids don鈥檛 want to read about slavery and old dead people,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e looking for a book that will make them laugh.鈥� That鈥檚 why he wrote . (Warning: It鈥檚 not exactly a literary masterpiece.)

The Power of Immigrant Parents Learning from Each Other

The proud daughter of domestic workers, Vanessa Luna was born in Lima, Peru, and moved to New York City with her family at 10 years old. As a so-called Dreamer, she saw her seemingly secure immigration status shaken as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (also known as ) became a political football. As a Teach for America middle school teacher in Los Angeles, she witnessed the many systemic barriers faced by families of immigrant children.

Luna cofounded in 2017, during a stressful period for immigrants. 鈥淭he xenophobic rhetoric of the former administration had an impact in my community,鈥� Luna says. She adds that a Trump-era change in the that dramatically curtailed eligibility for public benefits (since rescinded but still a matter of uncertainty) 鈥渉ad a chilling effect and left a dark stain.鈥� The stress and stigma can impede the development and education of young children who had no say in the decision to move to America.

鈥淲e use schools as vehicles for change,鈥� she explains. 鈥淪chools become a resource hub when we create a safe space where information is available and programs can be accessed.鈥� ImmSchools hosts monthly family chats in multiple languages, and participants drive the subject matter. Overwhelmingly, they want to gain access to financial supports, but the rules keep changing and seem designed to engender confusion. Navigating the NYC Department of Education is also a recurring issue. The organization identifies parent leaders and compensates them for advising other parents.

Parents who participate in ImmSchools鈥� programs (in person and over WhatsApp) also support each other鈥檚 social and emotional well-being. Luna gives the example of a mom who fled domestic violence in Jamaica, living in Queens with one child in middle school and two little ones. It wasn鈥檛 ImmSchools staff that helped her; it was other moms who had been in her shoes. 鈥淟earning happens when parents and caregivers hear from each other,鈥� Luna says.

Chan expresses wonder and admiration at the range of community-based organizations leading efforts to support New York City families who have been confronted with new and more onerous challenges since the pandemic. 鈥淲e鈥檙e proud to sustain the important work that FUEL for 50 organizations are doing to help children realize their dreams by supporting the parents and caregivers who are their first teachers.鈥�

This story originally published on Early Learning Nation and is now archived on 蜜桃影视. Learn more here.