Kidspace: House of Ruth

Reinvestment Fund is financing the construction of a new early learning center serving up to 64 infants and toddlers in Washington DC’s Ward 7.

Known as Kidspace, the early learning center is operated by House of Ruth, a nonprofit with a mission to help women, children and families in greatest need and with very limited resources to build safe, stable lives and achieve their highest potential. Its programs help women, children and families heal from lifetimes of traumatic abuse.

Since 1990, House of Ruth has provided a nationally accredited child development center, Kidspace, for the children living at House of Ruth residences and homeless children living in the community. This new facility will enable Kidspace to double the children served and have a space that matched the quality of services that are being provided. The new facility will serve as a hub for Kidspace’s educational and therapeutic programs.

Children, ages six weeks through five years old, entering Kidspace trend towards having developmental delays, and about one-third of children have permanent special needs. Despite this fact, many of Kidspace’s children have been deemed “not delayed enough” to receive publicly funded services. Kidspace’s staff of educators and therapists serve as advocates for each child, assessing needs and proactively providing speech, occupational and play therapy.

Kidspace offers its students a learning environment they would not otherwise have access to and the therapies they need to prevent more debilitating delays later in life. Even more importantly, Kidspace prepares children to be ready to learn and succeed in school.

Reinvestment Fund’s loan capital for this project comes from the Early Learning Quality Fund (ELQF), supported by the Bainum Family Foundation and operated by Reinvestment Fund in coordination with Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC). EQLF supports qualifying early learning service providers by financing facility improvements to ensure high-quality early learning spaces for children in Wards 7 and 8 of Washington DC.