Birth 2 Three, the Homer-based infant learning program, received a $10,000 grant from the Communications Consortium Media Center in Washington, D.C. The grant is for Ready Kids, Ready Schools, Ready Communities planning, a program to work with other partners to link early learning to kindergarten-12th grade education. Partners with Birth 2 Three are the Homer Public Health Center, Office of Children's Services, Kenai Peninsula Borough School District, Homer Head Start, South Peninsula Haven House and the Women, Infant Children (WIC) Program. For more information on Ready Kids, contact Karen Shemet at 235-6044 or e-mail homerilp@xyz.net.

These groups also are working with Birth 2 Three in the South Peninsula Coalition for Young Children Best Beginnings Partnership, for which Birth 2 Three received a $5,000 grant from Best Beginnings. Best Beginnings is a statewide public-private partnership to help children begin school ready to succeed.

For more information on the South Peninsula Best Beginnings Partnership, call Lolita Brache at 299-0964 or e-mail lolitagrace@gmail.com.