![]() Originally used as a school, the building is being remodeled to accommodate infants, toddlers and preschoolers. The center is located in the Mosaic Ministries offices at 860 Orchard Street. Funded by Mosaic Ministries and the Historic South Initiative, the Mosaic Early Learning Center is to provide free, high-quality child care to families with kids ages 0-5. Increasing support for familiesīuilding on the success of Baby U, Mosaic Ministries is preparing to embark on the next stage of what Kelly describes as a “cradle to career pipeline” by opening an early childhood education center in the Old South End this spring. “We see parents building their own support networks and building the skills they need to weather the storms of raising their children and bettering the outcomes for their family,” she says.īaby University is complemented by a home visitation program, in which a community health worker meets with each family to evaluate their needs and connect them with community resources if they are struggling with housing, employment, food insecurity, domestic violence or other challenges. Parents who attend receive a free pack of diapers every week and a $50 gift card upon completion of the program.Īlong with learning life skills, parenting strategies and nutrition, the moms and dads who attend develop friendships with one another. Kelly says the program usually enrolls about 25-30 parents, with a good mix of moms, dads and couples. Workshops are offered three times a year. Initially funded by a grant from the ProMedica Advocacy Fund of the Toledo Community Foundation, the program has grown into a successful entity independent of the church. The 10-week workshop teaches parents best practices and “empowers them to be intentional about their parenting,” says Kelly, who serves as executive director of Baby University and Mosaic Ministries. Now known as Mosaic Ministries, the nondenominational Christian church led by the Kaisers shifted its focus to education with the launch of a program called Baby University in 2010. “So you provide support for the families with parenting, and you start when the families are pregnant with their first child.” Baby University is born “His philosophy was that you take a small area, a few city blocks, and you flood that area with services for both parents and children,” says Kelly Kaiser. Seeking a model for inspiration, they looked to New York City educator Geoffrey Canada and his efforts to end intergenerational poverty through the Harlem Children’s Zone. The Kaisers wanted to do more to make a difference in a neighborhood where opportunities were lacking and many families seemed trapped in a cycle of poverty. ![]() They enjoyed getting to know their neighbors, but after a time they began to realize families in the area faced challenges that could not be overcome with food alone. Fifteen years ago, Kelly and David Kaiser took over leadership of a small church in Toledo’s Old South End and began serving a weekly community meal.
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