Focus Area: Early Childhood

Grant Amount: $10,000

Based in Winona, serves Winona and surrounding area. Established in 1990, Project FINE serves refugee and immigrant families, with a focus of helping the newcomers overcome barriers so they can begin building a new life and easing the integration of these ethnically diverse families into the local community. Its mission is achieved through a series of language and acculturation services, as well as referrals to existing services in the community.

Grant supports a weekly home visiting model focused on cognitive and social-emotional learning, mental health, and parent engagement. Activities will be organized by a program coordinator and carried out by bilingual staff. In some of the cultures served, the idea that specific learning happens in early childhood is a new concept, so the home visitors will introduce basic developmental training as well as connect families to other resources. Project FINE will develop its own curriculum for the program based on the needs of its families.