Reaching for the Stars Capital Campaign
For over 40 years, NorthStar has provided innovative educational programming to meet the evolving and complex needs of New Bedford’s children. Using a unique wrap-around service approach grounded in evidence-based practices, NorthStar serves families who have exhausted other program options and whose children have been expelled or excluded from other programs due of challenging behavior usually stemming from undiagnosed special needs or unrecognized trauma. NorthStar delivers fifteen programs across New Bedford related to Early Childhood Education, K-12 Student Academic Support, and Youth and Family Mental Health Services. Upon graduating from NorthStar’s nationally-accredited programs, approximately 90% of students go on to academic success as well as productive lives and careers.
What We Want to Do
Our early childhood program needs a better, more affordable facility. To address our space needs, we plan to build a 14,000-square-foot early childhood education center in New Bedford’s South End which will:
- Increase our capacity to serve young children and their families from 96 to 134.
- Help families access our early childhood education services by being in a more centralized, inner-city location.
- Improve our operational and financial efficiencies so that we can allocate more dollars to programming.
- Help rejuvenate and increase safety in a low-income, underresourced neighborhood by building on an unsightly, long-vacant lot.
- Provide space for meetings, trainings, and other community needs.
Our new center will include:
- I0 classrooms that will support active learning
- Parent resource rooms
- A multi-use community room
- NorthStar administrative offices
- Outdoor play spaces, including a garden and other greenery
For more information on making an investment in NorthStar’s new early childhood education center, please contact:
David Guertin
(401) 868-0365
or david@vantageinphilanthropy.com
Invest in New Bedford by supporting early childhood education
What We Have Accomplished
For over 40 years, we have strengthened the New Bedford community:
95% of our age-eligible preschoolers test as being ready for kindergarten on the New Bedford Public Schools-administered school readiness assessments.
90% of the youth referred to our mentoring programs stay in their homes, schools, and community.
Committed to leaving no child behind, we accept and successfully work with children expelled from other programs due to traumatic stress-caused behavior problems.
Testimonials
How the New Bedford Community Will Benefit
Economic research has estimated that every dollar spent on early childhood education generates $4 to $11 of benefits to the participants and society at large.
Laying the Foundation for School Success
Students who attend early childhood education programs, compared to their peers who do not attend:
- Are more academically and socially prepared for kindergarten
- Do better in elementary school
- Are more likely to graduate from high school
- Have higher test scores
- Go on to college or another pathway of education or training
To inspire a new generation of innovative thinkers and creative problem-solvers, we have embedded Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM) in all our programming for children and, now, into our building design.
Early Childhood Investment is Workforce Development
Early childhood investments provide dual benefits: gains for children and families, and long-term economic benefits for the business community and community at large. Attending an early childhood education program is linked to:
- Increased future employability and productivity in the labor market
- Higher employment rates, better earnings, and lower need for public assistance
- Increased volunteer work in the community
- Reduced crime. Crime rates could drop in cities like New Bedford—if more children had access to high quality early childhood education
Making the Center a Reality
The project budget is $6.3 million. Our Reaching for the Stars Capital Campaign goal is $2.5 million. We aim to have individual, corporate and foundation funding provide the leverage to secure over $1.7 million in public funding, $1.3 million in New Market Tax Credits, and $800,000 of owner equity and financing.
NorthStar’s Reaching for the Stars Capital Campaign is led by recognized business, civic and education leaders, and has raised approximately $500,000 as of December 2018. If we can secure the necessary public and private funding by November 2019, construction of a new place of early learning, hope, and healing will start and be completed in 2020.
Get Involved
NorthStar will be honored to receive tax-deductible contributions of all sizes, and will recognize its donors at the entrance to its new early childhood education center. Prominent naming opportunities are also available for contributions and pledges of $10,000 or more which can be pledged over five years.
Thank you to our Generous Donors to Date
- Acushnet Foundation Fund, of the Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts
- BankFive
- BayCoast Bank
- Bristol County Savings Bank
- Carney Family Charitable Foundation
- Charlie’s Children’s Charities
- City of New Bedford
- Coastal Financial & Christopher M. Hodgson
- CTH Foundation
- Island Foundation
- Sylvia Group
