Focus Area: Early Childhood

Grant Amount: $10,000

Located in the Phillips neighborhood of south Minneapolis. SFNC has been providing services to families in south Minneapolis experiencing trauma for the past 45 years. It offers therapeutic early childhood education, including play therapy and music therapy, home visiting services and family support services. In 2018, it identified a need for a culturally relevant home visiting program and identified the Family Spirit model as appropriate.

Grant supports the Therapeutic Early Childhood Music Therapy program, serving 29 children ages 15 months to 5 years. The grant will ensure that the children in the early childhood education program receive weekly group music therapy in their classrooms. The center currently has three classrooms for preschool, toddler, and pre-K age groupings. Additionally, 5-10 children with a specific identified developmental concern receive individual music therapy. Music therapy has been found to be incredibly beneficial for children’s psychological, social-emotional, physical, and cognitive development and can make a significant difference in their lives.