Excerpt from Dayton Daily News
By Cornelius Frolik, Staff Writer
$12M to fund initiative to address economic mobility at young age.
A new initiative, which was first unveiled last fall, is in response to declining economic mobility and growing income inequality. The work is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Ballmer Group.
“These pioneer cities will not only expand opportunity for their own residents, they will provide valuable insights to communities across the country,” said Sue Desmond-Hellmann, CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
In Dayton’s project, the city and Preschool Promise will work together to try to create more opportunities for parents to engage in activities that help build children’s brains and eventually enroll the kids in preschool, the city said.
“It’s encouraging that Preschool Promise’s great work is receiving national attention, and I think this initiative will only accelerate that,” said Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley.
