The Need
Healthy development from birth to age five provides the building blocks for educational achievement, economic productivity, responsible citizenship, lifelong health, strong communities, and successful parenting of the next generation.
SAL's Skip-a-Long Childhood Center serves children and families in Rock Island
- 125 children from birth to age 12 currently enrolled at our existing center
- 98% of children at the Rock Island campus come from low-income or at-risk families
Our Rock Island facility needs to be replaced.
- We are near capacity
- Unreliable heating and cooling systems leading to issues during summer and winter
- Lacks proper air ventilation
- Location experiences major flooding during heavy rainfall leading to playground and basement flooding as well as classroom leaks
- Old windows cause cold drafts, resulting in discomfort and inefficient temperature control
- Renovating the current building would cost between $5.6 and $7 million, leaving us with a 50-year-old building needing costly repairs
If we do not fix these issues soon, the building will no longer provide a safe, quality learning environment for children. We will have to close it, and 125 children from birth to age 12 will lose a safe place to learn.
Benefits of long-term, quality early childhood education
Rock Island today
of residents live
in poverty
children live in
poverty
of Rock Island/Milan
School District students qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch
high school
graduation rate—
the lowest in the Quad Cities
early education
spots are needed
in Rock Island