Morgan Stanley to partner basis.point in helping alleviate the educational divide

L-R Eve Finn, Director basis.point, Sharon Gregg and daughter, Home Visitor, Sandra Monks, Elaine Keenan, CEO MSIM Fund Management Ireland

A dull day in January was made brighter for over one hundred families from disadvantaged communities, as Morgan Stanley commit to partner with basis.point to expand our support of the Early Learning Initiative (ELI) ParentChild+ programme, as it extends programme delivery throughout Ireland.

basis.point first engaged with ELI in 2015 and since then have been working together to bridge the educational divide. Now firmly established in the original Dublin Docklands area, this latest grant of €346,000, facilitated in part thanks to additional funding of €50,000 from the Morgan Stanley International Foundation (MSIF), will enable us to expand the geographic reach of the programme, supporting a further 108 families with 2 visits per week over the next two years.

L-R Sharon Gregg, Eve Finn, Elaine Keenan and Louise Costello

ParentChild+ is a proven, innovative, home based literacy programme for pre-school children (18 months – 3 years) that strengthens families and prepares children to succeed academically.

The absence of positive role models and effective parenting skills is acutely felt by many young families who are experiencing inter-generational, long-term problems of social deprivation, poverty and poor educational attainment.

The baseline vocabulary of a toddler with these additional challenges may be as low as 400. And without intervention or support these children may never catch up.

Over a two year period, the home visitors develop wonderful relationships with parents and guardians. By modelling oral language, reading and play, they encourage the parents to be their own child’s best teacher. Through active participation, the children gain an average of 600 additional words and develop interpersonal skills to start school ready to succeed.

Everything on the programme is up and running after the Christmas break and all the children are delighted to see their Home Visitors. Antigen tests and PPE for Home Visitors and families ensure all are protected.

Sharing mat time with the kids and their home visitors gives a wonderful insight into the great work being achieved through this programme.

Elaine Keenan, CEO Morgan Stanley Investment Management in Ireland joined Eve Finn, basis.point Board Director at the launch and commented,

Access to education is high on the agenda for the Morgan Stanley International Foundation so we are delighted to partner with basis.point as they expand their literacy programme to ensure more children get the best possible start in life.

The home visitors develop phenomenal relationships with their families, and it is clear to see how they play such a pivotal role in helping prepare the children for more formal learning

Alleviating the educational divide is a constant challenge. Last term there were 2,185 video calls, 1,385 inhouse visits and 698 outdoor visits. Thanks to our partnership with Morgan Stanley and this latest grant, we can play a vital role in levelling the playing field for 500+ children from diverse communities, hit hardest by disadvantage during these very challenging times.

It will be exciting to follow their achievements as they develop and grow.

Share this post

Related Articles

Sign up to our newsletter

You can support our work to empower young people through education by hosting a company event, organising a personal event, or getting involved with any of our events or initiatives.