Local business leaders celebrate and commit to the workforce of the future through the Quality Improvement Project of Niagara.

Quality Improvement Project of Niagara to focus on early childhood opportunities for children in Niagara County

Niagara University, along with the United Way of Greater Niagara, the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, the Niagara Area Foundation and local business leaders have partnered to launch the Quality Improvement Project of Niagara. This initiative is designed to improve the early childhood opportunities of children in Niagara County and to enhance the kindergarten readiness skills of young children.

The Quality Improvement Project of Niagara is a three-year, $625,000 initiative that will be primarily funded by the Grigg-Lewis Foundation and The Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Foundation. The NAF will also be contributing to the funding of this important project.

“This project demonstrates a clear commitment from each organization to the future success of Niagara County,” said Joseph Levesque, C.M., president of Niagara University. “At Niagara we know that education, and the access to education, provides a strong foundation for success. This initiative is a perfect match for our mission at Niagara, which is to serve all members of society, especially the most needy, in local communities and in the larger world.”

“The Grigg-Lewis Foundation has always been deeply involved with youth and with the issues of children and youth in education,” said William B. May, executive director of the foundation. “This new and important initiative is at the core of our mission and represents the collaboration and impact that we need in this region.”

“The Tower Foundation is very pleased to be a part of such an exciting project,” said Glenda Cadwallader, executive director of The Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Foundation. “We were very impressed with the partnering organizations and their insights into the needs of the community.”

One of the unique aspects of the QIP is the involvement of local business leaders as part of this educational initiative.

“My passion is to see this community move forward, and I will not stand by and watch as WNY’s youth, our community’s ‘foundation,’ continues to erode,” said Ken Franasiak, CEO of Calamar Enterprises and former chairman of NAF. “These little people are our future leaders and employees; they are the future of WNY. Every dollar invested in this community is an investment in your children’s and grandchildren’s future and they are a ‘foundation’ worth supporting –– they are our work force and leadership of tomorrow!”

Quality Improvement Project

The quality improvement process consists of three phases that can be carried on beyond the life of the active intervention, creating a system of ongoing quality assurance and improvement. The three phases are: Objective Evaluation, Planning for Improvement, and Implementation of Changes/Improvements. The changes that will be implemented include changes to both the physical environment (room arrangement, available toys and supplies) and to the center “culture” (teacher behaviors, staff-child interactions, communication, routines, activities, curricula).

The project is designed to show an increase in children’s communication skills with regard to wants, needs, thoughts, and feelings. It will also focus on their physical health, including being safe, well-rested and well-nourished and having appropriate motor development. The program is designed to develop emotional health, with enthusiasm and curiosity for learning, as well as social knowledge and competence, including the skills needed to maintain positive relationships with adults and other children and to get along in a group.

Niagara University and the United Way of Niagara will administer the QIP and serve as the coordinator of educational and policy agencies in supporting and extending the project. The university will draw upon existing resources through its College of Education. The college prepares early childhood teachers (graduate and undergraduate levels of study) in accordance with the standards of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Niagara offers programs in early childhood and faculty hold qualifications in early childhood. The university is positioned to extend the partnership to include reciprocal planning for curriculum, professional development, and accreditation.