Since 1982, the Ounce of Prevention Fund has persistently pursued a single goal: that all children living in America—particularly those born into poverty—have quality early childhood experiences in the crucial first five years of life.

Children born into poverty begin life with the odds stacked against them. That's not just unfortunate for them. It's a problem for all of them—one that can and must be solved.

The Ounce is demonstrating effective solutions every day. Their work is anchored in a growing body of scientific evidence about early brain development. They use private dollars to apply that science in developing innovative programs, and then leverage public funding to support their implementation and replication.

Here's what they do:

• They serve more than 4,000 children and families directly through birth-to-five programs they fund and operate in Chicago as well as through their network of voluntary home visiting programs throughout Illinois.
• They integrate the latest research and best theories into their program development efforts.
• They train nearly 3,000 community-based early childhood professionals in Illinois each year.
• They advocate for state and federal funding for early childhood services that reach hundreds of thousands of children across the country.
• They partner with advocacy organizations in 17 states and Washington, DC, to build their capacity to advance policy change and increase public investments in effective birth-to-five programs.
• They communicate through publications and other resources to ensure that what they know is translated into understanding that leads to action—in homes, schools, board rooms, and on Capitol Hill.
• They design and develop models, curricula, education materials and other programs that help prevent the academic achievement gap and the social problems it can create, including school dropout rates, teenage pregnancy, juvenile crime and chronic health conditions.