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Highlighting one of our Good Beginnings grant recipients

Kindermusik International

One of the best things a child can have is a good beginning. That’s because the early years are the most impressionable and formative for a child.  At Kindermusik International, we believe this so strongly that we chose as our tagline “a good beginning never ends”.

Though we primarily focus on supporting Kindermusik programs around the globe, we’re always looking for ways to make children’s lives better and do what we can to get children off to a great start. This led to our Good Beginnings Grant Program, which was open to anyone–both Kindermusik educators and non-educators as well–in the U.S. and Canada who had a good idea for a project that would benefit the lives of children. We allowed the public to vote on the projects they liked the most.

The response was overwhelming.  In the end, over half a million votes were cast in the space of just over one month. Kindermusik educator Katie Henderson of Bloomington, Illinois, is leading one of the winning projects. Her project was to provide a bilingual Kindermusik class for low income Hispanic families in her area.  We recently received a wonderful note from Katie, and wanted to share an excerpt here.

“Music Connections is in its 17th year of offering Kindermusik in central Illinois. We consist of a passionate team of 10 educators who have witnessed the profound ‘Kindermusik difference’ in ‘normal,’ middle-class families. We are committed to finding a way to provide these benefits on a larger scale to children and families who have special needs and cannot afford our program. We have witnessed, firsthand, how language is greatly enhanced in normal children who are experiencing the song-rich, literature-rich environment of Kindermusik. We are SO excited by the gains the Spanish-speaking children in this project will make as they have a joyful, loving experience with their parents, our teaching team, and other volunteer English-speaking moms who can model and connect with them.”

Kindermusik International is very excited that we could play a small role in making this happen. But the real credit lies with Katie and her team. Keep up the great work! Check out the Music Connections website to learn more about Katie’s program.

Check back here at Minds on Music for regular features on the progress of our Good Beginnings grant winners.

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One way to show how thankful you are

Yesterday was the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S. As an international company, we know that many of our parents and educators are outside the U.S. and don’t celebrate this day. But the holiday’s theme is universal—setting aside a time to stop and give thanks for everything that we have. It doesn’t matter what date the calendar shows, any day is a good day to do this.

One of the most common ways we show thankfulness is by helping others. This could be a friend in need, a special group of individuals, a stranger—anyone. And if there’s one thing we at Kindermusik International have learned after 30 years, it’s that our Kindermusik community of educators and parents is one of the most giving, caring, and generous communities you’ll ever find. Bar none.

This led us to develop the Kindermusik Good Beginnings Grant Program. If you haven’t heard us talking about it yet, the program allows anyone (individuals, small organizations, schools, foundations, Kindermusik educators, etc.) to apply for a $1000 grant for any project that will help children. We will be awarding five Good Beginnings grants, as chosen by the general public. Voting on project ideas will open in early January and run through February. We are currently accepting project applications through December 16, 2010.

So, in this time of thanks, consider demonstrating how thankful you are by applying for a Good Beginnings grant. If you live in the U.S. or Canada, all you need to do is come up with a project idea that will help children. It can be anything! Need help thinking of an idea? Visit the application site for some examples to get the juices flowing. When you’re ready, simply fill out the online application at www.kindermusik.com/grants. (Consider including photos and/or a short video to give your application some pop!) When voting opens in January, spread the word to family and friends to vote for your idea. Simple, right?

To our friends beyond the U.S. and Canadian borders, we wish we could have extended this program worldwide. Though we tried, strict international rules and regulations prevented it. However, you can still be part of the process! When voting opens on January 5, 2011, we invite you to visit the grants site and vote for the projects you like best. Anyone can vote (up to ten times a day, each and every day through February 9, 2011).

Now it’s our turn to give thanks: thank you for being part of our Kindermusik community, and thanks for everything you do to get children off to a great start!