Small But Mighty
Small local groups can be easily overlooked. We don’t have high profile publicity, we don’t always have ‘causes’ that make the headlines, but we are people who work hard to keep essential, community services running.
We really struggle with day to day running costs and not all of our needs can be bundled up into a specific ‘project, which is what the ‘big’ funders seem to want.
Ambergate & District Playgroup received a grant of just £420 and with this small sum, they have made a big, permanent difference. It has enabled this voluntary group, ran by the community, serving a selection of villages, to install broadband and purchase new software to improve educational standards for their pre-school children.
Being able to track the children’s development and reduce paperwork to get more ‘hands on’ has made a huge impact. This has been so noticeable in their transition to primary school.
We have found overwhelming evidence that children’s life chances are most heavily predicated on their development in the first five years of life. It is family background, parental education, good parenting and the opportunities for learning and development in those crucial years that together matter more to children than money, in determining whether their potential is realised in adult life.
Foundation Years; Frank Field 2010
