Cleveland Play House Awarded KidCents Grant From Rite Aid Foundation

With generous support from the Rite Aid Foundation, Cleveland Play House (CPH) has been awarded a KidCents Regional Grant, which will provide $30,000 to support out-of-school-time learning activities for children.

The funding will support children and families in two of Cleveland's neighborhoods, where many of the constituents are English as a Second Language (ESL) Learners. KidCents Regional Grants support nonprofit organizations with programs that serve children, from newborn to 18 years of age, and improve the quality of life in Rite Aid communities. The grants support three of KidCents' primary focus areas for improving the health and wellbeing of children: healthy eating, active living and education. Activities include academic tutoring, arts enrichment, parent education and social emotional learning programs. To be considered, programs and projects were required to take place during out-of-school-time. Priority was given to programs supporting communities in need. Cleveland Play House is the only professional theatre in the country to be awarded a KidCents regional grant.

"In our after-school programs, we strive to provide equal opportunities and programming for everyone! We set the goal to provide tutoring, arts enrichment, sports, social-emotional learning, and parent education programs in English and Spanish," said CPH Marcela Rodriguez-Gonzalez, 21st Century Community Learning Center Coordinator for Almira and Walton Elementary schools. "With our ESL programs, we are welcoming and caring about students who may [have entered the U.S.] as refugees, or might not have had access to English education."

"We created the KidCents program to ensure that kids have a chance for better lives and brighter futures," said Tracy Henderson, director of The Rite Aid Foundation and charitable giving initiatives. "With the introduction of the KidCents Regional Grant program, we are expanding our efforts even more while filling a need for valuable out-of-school-time programming and enabling our partner nonprofit organizations to implement innovative, ground-breaking programs that advance children's health and wellbeing and promote academic growth."

The grants significantly expand the reach of KidCents by helping nonprofit organizations fund specific out-of-school-time programs focused on children's nutrition, physical fitness and academic success. The KidCents program also annually supports a select group of more than 400 nonprofit, kid-focused organizations committed to improving the health and wellbeing of children living in the communities Rite Aid serves and national organizations focused on critical children's issues.

Cleveland Play House, founded in 1915 and recipient of the 2015 Regional Theatre Tony Award, is America's first professional regional theatre. Throughout its rich history, CPH has remained dedicated to its mission to inspire, stimulate, and entertain diverse audiences across Northeast Ohio by producing plays and theatre education programs of the highest professional standards. CPH has produced more than 100 world and/or American premieres, and over its long history more than 12 million people have attended over 1,600 productions. Today, led by Artistic Director Laura Kepley and Managing Director Kevin Moore, Cleveland Play House celebrates the beginning of its second century of service while performing in three state-of-the art venues at Playhouse Square in downtown Cleveland. clevelandplayhouse.com