$75,000 Donation Will Help Child Care Business Owners

CHICAGO, July 19 /PRNewswire/ -- A $75,000 grant to the Women's Business Development Center (WBDC) from the McCormick Foundation will be used to expand the WBDC's 12-year-old child care business initiative.

The WBDC Child Care Advisory Council will be broadened to serve in a deeper capacity, and the business workshops and support activities will be increased, according to Hedy M. Ratner, WBDC co-president.

"We are thrilled and honored to have received such a generous grant from the McCormick Foundation," she said. "It couldn't come at a better time. Training opportunities offered by other organizations have been reduced, yet the demand for services from this emerging market of entrepreneurs is high. With these funds, we can begin to close the gap."

The WBDC's Child Care Business Initiative provides workshops for start-up and mature businesses in both English and Spanish, primarily to women living in low- to moderate-income neighborhoods. In addition, the organization presents an annual Child Care Business Expo each spring, and offers one-on-one business counseling, and online information and resources.

"The McCormick Foundation and the WBDC share a common goal to provide programming that enhances urgently-needed education programs for children," says Sara Slaughter, director of the Education Program at the McCormick Foundation.

About the McCormick Foundation

The McCormick Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to strengthening our nation's civic health by creating educated, informed and engaged citizens. Through its grantmaking programs, Cantigny Park and Golf, and museums, the Foundation helps build citizen leaders and make life better in our communities. The Foundation was established as a charitable trust in 1955, upon the death of Colonel Robert R. McCormick, the longtime editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune. The McCormick Foundation is one of the nation's largest charities, with more than $1 billion in assets. For more information, please visit www.McCormickFoundation.org.

About the Women's Business Development Center

The Women's Business Development Center (WBDC), a nationally and internationally recognized women's business assistance center in its 25th year of operation, provides a continuum of business development services to prospective and established women entrepreneurs. The WBDC has helped over 65,000 women and men start and expand their businesses through coaching, counseling, entrepreneurial training, financial and procurement assistance, WBE certification and conferences. The mission of the WBDC is to provide services and programs that support and accelerate women's business ownership and strengthen the impact of women on the economy. For further information about the WBDC, please visit their website at www.wbdc.org, or contact them at 8 S. Michigan, 4th Floor, Chicago, Illinois 60603 or 312-853-3477.

SOURCE Women's Business Development Center