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First Children's Finance Growth Fund: Social enterprise at its best. Jerry Cutts
The idea of social enterprises - organizations applying market-based strategies to achieve a social purpose - has become widely discussed in recent years as a way to bring together the best of business with the best of intentions to do good. Both nonprofits and for-profits are emerging as social enterprises, sharing commitments to community and effective business practices. And the movement is growing around the world.
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Gary Jager named chief financial officer Gary Jager, a former member of the First Children's Finance Board of Directors, thought he had retired, but when the call came from Jerry Cutts in the Fall of 2009, Gary accepted. He is now the chief financial officer for First Children's Finance, responsible for finance, operational planning and budgeting.
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Thanks to our generous funders for their recent support!
- $2 million from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to offer a Growth Fund program to work with high quality care and education centers in Detroit, MI, that are considering adding services to meet the multiple needs of lower income families and their children. The grant also helps fund Children's Chamber of Commerce and fellowship programs in Michigan.
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First Children's Growth Fund: Growing successful child care businesses
In 2006 First Children's Finance launched a game changing strategy to sustain and grow the number of spaces for children in high quality early care and education centers. The idea was a simple one: when you combine the talent and expertise of providers and business people, you get the best results for children from lower income families. First Children's Growth Fund program is currently serving Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan, North Dakota and South Dakota.
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First Children's Growth Fund succes stories:
Agape Child Development Centers and Abbott Northwestern Children's Center of the YWCA of Minneapolis
When Agape Child Development Centers was accepted into the Growth Fund program in 2006, the organization offered high quality, 24-hour child care for infants and children up to age 12 in two facilities, serving north Minneapolis and surrounding areas.
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Abbott Northwestern's Children's Center of the YWCA of Minneapolis opened its doors in December 2006. In addition to providing care for up to 99 children from infancy through school age whose parents live in the community or work at Abbott Northwestern Hospital, the center also houses the Child Care Business Development Program.
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Meet First Children's Finance Directors and Staff
In each issue of The Advisor we profile two members of the First Children's Finance Board of Directors and two staff members.
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 Roger Neugebauer, Director
Roger and Bonnie Neugebauer have published Exchange - The Early Childhood Leaders Magazine, since 1978. Neugebauer has presented keynote addresses at more than 200 conferences in 48 states and six nations. In 1997 he was honored by Working Mother magazine as one of "25 Champions of Working Parents." Bonnie and Roger Neugebauer are also the founders of the World Forum on Early Care and Education, a bi-annual gathering of early childhood practitioners from 80 nations to address issues in delivering quality services in diverse settings.
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 Doug Morrison, Director
Doug Morrison was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He attended the University of South Dakota, receiving a bachelor of science degree in business with an accounting major in 1981. After six years working as a CPA in Gillette, Wyoming, he accepted a position as a financial analyst at Citibank (South Dakota) N.A. in Sioux Falls. Doug worked in a variety of financial positions for Citibank and was appointed Citibank's chief financial officer in April of 2000.
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 Heidi Schlueter, Director of State Operations and Development
Prior to joining First Children's Finance, Heidi worked for nine years with Community Action of Eastern Iowa Head Start and Early Head Start. As director, her responsibilities included leadership and oversight for the early care and education of approximately 600 children and directing a staff of over 100 people at 24 locations.
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 Nedra Sims Fears, Special Projects Coordinator
As a special projects coordinator Nedra Sims Fears advises early education and care business owners about how to improve their business practices and space planning. Nedra has more than 20 years of experience in community development, mortgage banking, secondary mortgage market, construction management and interior architecture. Nedra has a M.B.A. in finance from Northwestern University and a B.S. in interior architecture from Cornell University.
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Supporting the business of child care