The Mary Black Foundation in South Carolina is among those foundations that have embraced a stepped-up focus on equity, as we've reported. A lot of the equity work being done around the country right now is focused on public policy efforts and advocacy campaigns. But this foundation has an initiative that takes equity into the earliest and most basic of institutions: the home. Recently, the foundation launched a new initiative to help parents become better at raising their children.

Read more about early childhood initiatives on Giving Compass

The purpose of MBF’s Healthy Families Initiative is to provide comprehensive, evidence-based parent education and support to take the guesswork out of parenting. Triple P (the Positive Parenting Program) offers simple and practical strategies for parents to raise their children to establish healthy relationships and prevent future problems.

With this new initiative, MBF is taking a capacity building approach to improving equity in Spartanburg County, South Carolina once again. The funder is currently partnering with Hope Center for Children, Children's Trust of SC, and Triple P America to make local parenting improvements part of its strategy.

MBF also recently announced $1,126,600 in new grants to 10 nonprofits that serve Spartanburg County, South Carolina. These grants were between $7,500 and $675,000 each and went to efforts like after school clubs, arts training for early childhood providers, and neighborhood street lighting.

Other MBF money has been going towards teen pregnancy prevention, small business support, building and equipment purchases and renovations, and providing healthcare to the uninsured.

While there is much to accomplish in the realm of early childhood education in this country, by providing parents additional resources to further education at home it might aid in the progression of education in a more impactful way.

Read the source article at Inside Philanthropy