7.18.2000 ET

(CSRwire) The Freddie Mac Foundation has invested $225,000 in two community-based programs – the Community Coalition for Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment ($100,000) and Crystal Stairs ($125,000). Both programs focus on the needs of children and their families in the South Central Los Angeles area. Along with a recent grant of nearly $1.2 million to start "Wednesday's Child," a program to find adoptive homes for local foster children, these grants deepen the Foundation's commitment to brighten the future for Los Angeles' children.

"These programs underscore the importance of continuing to reach out and assist our nation's children," explained Maxine Baker, president and CEO, Freddie Mac Foundation. "By providing higher quality childcare for young at-risk children and academic enrichment for older at-risk children, these community-based groups are investing in the future of their community."

The Freddie Mac Foundation is dedicated to brightening the future for children, youth, and families at risk and will grant $20 million this year to organizations working to prevent child abuse and neglect, find homes for foster children, and strengthen early childhood education opportunities. These two new grants support these three key areas by improving educational opportunities and childcare for at-risk children and their families.

The Community Coalition works to improve community conditions in the Vermont/Manchester neighborhood of South Central Los Angeles. The grant will allow the Community Coalition's Resource Center to provide a computer-based academic enrichment program for children ages eleven to fourteen. The Coalition librarian, along with a parent volunteer, will develop a computer class curriculum specifically for middle school children. The curriculum will focus on use of the computer in math, science and analytical thinking. By teaching children computer and technology skills, they will be better prepared for their secondary and post secondary education.

Crystal Stairs, founded in 1980 is one of the largest, private, non-profit child development corporations in the state of California serving over 47,000 children. The mission of Crystal Stairs is to improve the lives of families through childcare services, research, and advocacy. Crystal Stairs will use its grant to improve the overall quality of license-exempt childcare in the South Central area by creating a series of training programs and activities for unlicensed providers over a 12-month period. Since the quality of childcare has a positive relationship to good developmental outcomes in children, "at-risk" children are particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of low and poor quality care.

These two grants expand on the Foundation's recent efforts to brighten the future for Los Angeles children. The Foundation also recently announced a $1.2 million grant to start Wednesday's Child, a weekly televised adoption feature on Los Angeles' KTTV-Fox 11 that helps recruit families for local foster children in need of immediate adoptive homes. Currently, more than 500,000 children are in foster care in the United States. The Foundation is focused on finding more adoptive homes for the 100,000 children currently available for adoption by sponsoring Wednesday's Child television programs in Washington, DC, New York City, Chicago, and now Los Angeles.

Created by Freddie Mac in 1990 under the leadership of Chairman Leland C. Brendsel, the Freddie Mac Foundation is dedicated to brightening the future for children, youth, and families at risk. As one of the largest corporate funders in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, Freddie Mac and the Freddie Mac Foundation have invested nearly $80 million in nonprofit organizations serving children and families.