<p>Piedmont Housing Alliance (PHA) is seeking an $800,000 award for the construction of</p><p>an Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC) in Charlottesville, Virginia that will create 41</p><p>full-time jobs at a cost of $19,512 per job. The year round jobs will pay a minimum of $15 an</p><p>hour, with benefits; and provide advancement through credentials and professional development.</p><p>The ECEC will be located at the Friendship Court (FC) redevelopment, a 150 unit,</p><p>multi-family Section 8 housing complex located in a severely economically distressed</p><p>neighborhood. The poverty rate for this census tract is 25.71%, compared to the state rate of</p><p>10.95%. The census block where the ECEC will be located shows a 10.11% unemployment rate,</p><p>compared to the state unemployment rate of 2.8%, indicating a need for local, well-paying jobs.</p><p>During the FC planning phase led by PHA, significant input from residents and other</p><p>stakeholders revealed the need for an early learning center that would address several barriers to</p><p>self-sustainability. First, the ECEC will provide high-quality childcare and preschool education</p><p>that will allow parents and caregivers to pursue employment and education opportunities.</p><p>Second, it will break the cycle of generational poverty by providing children with every</p><p>opportunity for educational success through an innovative curriculum focused on skills needed</p><p>for later learning as well as academic skills for kindergarten and beyond. PHA has formed a</p><p>partnership with the Monticello Area Community Action Agency (MACAA), the regional Head</p><p>Start provider, to manage the ECEC once construction is complete. There are 90+ children aged</p><p>birth to
five living at Friendship Court and the investment in these children's economic future is</p><p>projected to have a significant economic return in decreased public spending and increased</p><p>earnings as the children enter the workforce in the future. Another innovative approach will be</p><p>the use of a mixed-delivery model, where children from multiple funding streams, including</p><p>Head Start, will learn together in the same classroom.</p><p>Ultimately, the plan for the ECEC responds to community needs on many levels, as well</p><p>as the state of Virginia's priority for school readiness to improve educational outcomes. PHA has</p><p>marshaled resources from across Charlottesville to create a state of the art early learning facility</p><p>that also creates well-paying local jobs, and will spur additional economic development. All 41</p><p>jobs will be located at the ECEC once construction is complete and the center begins enrollment.</p><p>The jobs include over 30 teaching jobs that will require a credential at no-cost for job seekers</p><p>and potential barriers will be mitigated by individualized resources provided by Network2Work,</p><p>PHA's partner for job participant support.</p><p>Financing for the $5.7 million project will<span> </span></p>