Cardinal Announces Grants Transforming Head Start Classrooms

Cardinal Services has received seven grants totaling $239,500 for Kosciusko County Head Start. Private donors have contributed an additional $8,331 which has been designated to the project for a total of $247,831. The funds will update and transform all six Head Start classrooms in the county with 1^st Maker Space learning tools.

Administered by Cardinal Services, Kosciusko County Head Start has classrooms at four elementary schools (Mentone, Claypool, Harrison, and Lincoln) and two classrooms at the Head Start Building at 811 S. Buffalo Street in Warsaw. By the end of July, each classroom will be built out with equipment from 1^st Makers Space. Based in Fishers (IN),

1^st Maker Space is a company that specializes in classroom materials that spark the imagination by creating classroom environments for dynamic learning and giving children hands on, tactile experiences. They equip classrooms with tools that seamlessly integrate STEM learning activities into the curriculum while addressing diverse sensory and behavioral needs.

New items in each room will include:

• dry erase tables
• soft seating throughout the room and at tables, including “nest” seating and hug chairs that are not only fun, but also reduce overstimulation and teach a child essential self-regulation skills
• early learner library
• varied block and modeling systems to explore building, including a Duplo Lego wall, all of which have been shown to stimulate mathematical thinking, develop fine motor skills, heighten creative thinking, and enhance spatial awareness
• aeroponic tower gardens
• a wind tunnel, complete with parachute figures to test the currents
• Code & Go Mouse activity set to introduce kids to screen-free coding and robotics.

Cardinal Services’ Executive Director Marcie Arndt said teacher training and ongoing support from 1^st Maker Space will ensure each child gets optimum benefit from the new classrooms.

“The goal is to spark curiosity and an excitement for learning in each child,” Arndt said. “We want them to discover what they can do, build and create. This is how we nurture our kids to be confident, lifelong learners who will be successful in life.”

Arndt said classrooms will be ready for the children when they return to school on Aug. 11. She thanked the foundations, organizations, and individuals who have contributed to the project.

“The largest funder for this project is the Don Wood Foundation, whose generous support has been instrumental in enabling us to move forward with this initiative,” Arndt said. “Our funders will allow us to enhance students’ problem-solving and critical thinking skills, ensuring children build a strong foundation for lifelong success in school and beyond.”

The Head Start 1^st Maker Space Project is funded by:

• The Don Wood Foundation
• Dr. Dane and Mary Louise Miller Foundation
• Zimmer Biomet Foundation
• Dekko Foundation
• General Motors (through support of Easterseals National Office)
• Kosciusko County Community Foundation
• Kosciusko Endowment Youth Services
• Private Individual Donations

To learn more about Kosciusko County Head Start/Early Head Start, go to https://cardinalservices.org/services/children-and-families/head-start/

You may also visit the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/KosciuskoCountyHeadStart