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Successful Children and Youth
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Providing children and youth with appropriate tools, supports and opportunities to become strong individuals and successful members of our community.
   
United Way works with parents, educators, community leaders and elected officials to ensure that children in this region have the resources they need to begin school ready to learn and to continue to succeed as they grow into young adults.
Success By 6® is United Way ’s regional initiative to ensure that more children come to school ready to learn. We know that children who have engaged, supported parents and quality preschool experiences are more likely to: read at grade level by 3rd grade; score well on the 4th grade mastery tests; stay out of the juvenile justice system; and stay in school. In the last three years, United Way has invested over $500,000 to enhance the quality of preschool programs and increase parent engagement in our region. We’ve also worked closely with partners like The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven and local School Readiness Councils to raise awareness and promote dialogue about the importance of quality early care and learning.
United Way’s commitment to youth extends beyond school readiness. Young people who have mentors, safe places to go after school and equitable educational opportunities are more likely to be academically, socially and emotionally successful. That’s why we’re excited about Experience Corps. In 18 cities across the country, Experience Corps taps older adults (55+) to mentor kindergarten to third grade students. Students in Experience Corps increase their academic achievement and scores on standardized tests. Senior volunteers report increased feelings of well-being and social connection. United Way and the Agency on Aging of South Central Connecticut have partnered to implement Experience Corps in the Greater New Haven region. Experience Corps is currently in two elementary schools in Hamden and we have plans to expand the program to other schools and districts in the coming years.
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| Strategy for Change: Success By 6® |
Goals
- Increase the percentage of children who attend preschool in New Haven and the “inner ring” communities.
- Improve the quality of early care and education experiences.
- Increase parents’ and primary caregivers’ knowledge of the important developmental milestones their children must meet to come to school success-ready.
- Increase public awareness about the positive effect that quality care and education can have for the community at large.
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Desired Interim Results
- Parents and caregivers have knowledge of and information about health and early care and education resources in the community and are more involved with their children’s learning.
- Family child care homes are licensed and accredited.
- Early child care centers in the region are NAEYC accredited.
- There is sufficient infant and toddler child care in the region to meet the need.
- Kith & Kin providers have more education and resources.
- All families have access to high quality early care and education programs.
- Children successfully transition from pre-k environments to the K-12 system.
- Key stakeholders (e.g. business, faith, and neighborhood organizations) are engaged as advocates for high quality early care and education.
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Strategies
- The Parents’ Place at Mill Road School Family Resource Center that provides a Parents as Teachers home visiting program as well as group meetings, screening, and a resource network.
- Family Child Care Toolkit Box Licensing Project . Helps unlicensed caregivers meet health and safety standards, complete state licensing requirements, and become part of a professional community of child care providers.
- Centro San Jose Family Center Family Center that provides early childhood and youth programming, ESL and GED, adult literacy, including Motheread, and nurturing families programming.
- Creating Kids Tuition Support To support a sliding fee scale at Create Kids so that children can receive a high-quality early childhood education, regardless of their family's income.
- Family Support Collaborative Supportive housing, case management, and parent education for low-income, homeless families with mental illness or substance abuse in partnership with ALSO-Cornerstone.
- Fair Haven Well Baby Group Care Expansion of an innovative approach to the well baby visit as a group care model, which helps families connect with the pediatric team and other parents of babies in the first year of life.
- Hamden Partnership for Youth Children To create a public will campaign for early care and education in Hamden that will help increase parental awareness and involvement in their children's learning.
- Leila Day Nursery To support a sliding fee scale for children from New Haven , Hamden , West Haven and East Haven . Subsidies would allow children whose families would otherwise be unable to afford the cost to be able to attend a high quality day care center.
- Life Haven Childcare Center To expand case management/support services on parenting issues for families whose mothers are currently at Life Haven and to follow up with the mothers/children for 12 months afterwards.
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| Strategy for Change: School Age Children |
Goals
- Increase the number of children and youth who achieve developmentally appropriate academic, social and emotional success.
- Increase educational/ academic equity across the region.
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Desired Interim Results
- Students participate in a variety of structured, community-based developmental learning opportunities beyond the school day.
- Parents/caregivers have information and support regarding family learning opportunities.
- Students at all grades have higher attendance rates.
- Students experience sustained success in the middle and high school years, including the transition from middle school to high school.
- High school students have exposure to and are supported in accessing a range of post-secondary opportunities.
- Parents are more involved with their children’s schools and empowered to hold schools and community leaders accountable for results.
- Municipal, school officials and community leaders across the region advocate for adequate and equitable school funding and for school reform.
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Strategies
- Best Buddies Greater New Haven Middle School and High School Project Matches middle and high school students with intellectual disabilities with non-disabled peers for mentoring in a supervised school setting.
- Big Brothers Big Sisters Mentoring. Support for continuation and growth of mentor matches for children in Greater New Haven.
- Casa Otonal Youth As Leaders To support 6th – 8th graders from Roberto Clemente School and Hill Central School in program activities focusing on academic success, leadership development and career exploration.
- Juvenile Justice Educational Advocacy Training for adults who work with girls in juvenile justice settings, individual advocacy for the girls, and systemic advocacy to ensure appropriate educational and health treatment.
- Clifford Beers Child Guidance Clinic Subsidizes behavioral health services for city youth.
- St. Martin de Porres Academy Extended Day Program To support extended day programming including art, literacy, sports, and academic support for students attending free, full day middle school prep academy.
- Farnam After School Groupwork and Recreation Program Supports after-school, arts and athletic opportunities for city youth.
- Girl Scouts College Pathways To support learning modules (in school classes and workshops) and college tours to encourage girls to pursue higher education.
- Boys & Girls Club After School After school program providing academic enrichment, recreational, and youth development programs.
- Common Ground 21st Century Community Learning Center After school program providing academic enrichment, recreational, and cultural programs, youth development and family programs.
- Solar Youth Steward Program Summer and after school education and leadership development programs for 100 New Haven youth with the natural environment as the foundation for learning.
- Kids in the Neighborhood Afterschool Enrichment Twice-weekly after school programs at four West Haven schools plus vacation and summer special programs
- West Haven Community House School Age Child Care Before and after-school program serving West Haven children.
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