Success By 6® (SB6) is United Way’s initiative to ensure that more children come to school ready to learn. The years between birth and six are a time of tremendous growth and development. The experiences children have in their earliest years determine the actual structure of their brain and lay the foundation for their ability to learn, as well as their emotional and behavioral well-being. The stakes are high – these early years matter, not only for young children and their families, but also for our entire community. Investments in early childhood have a high rate of return: for every $1 invested in high-quality early childhood programs, we save $16 in costs such as special education, incarceration, and welfare.
Desired Result
All children enter school developmentally on track in terms of health, literacy, social, emotional and intellectual skills.
Strategies
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Create opportunities for children (0-5) from low-income families to have access to early care and education.
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Improve the quality of early care and education.
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Increase parents' knowledge of the important developmental milestones their children must meet to come to school success-ready.
Highlights of Our Work
Grantmaking. United Way provides grants to local organizations that provide high-quality services that meet community needs. To meet the needs of young children and their families, UWGNH invests in parent education programs, supports quality improvement efforts, and subsidizes high-quality care for low-income families. Learn more. . .
The Accreditation Initiative helps early care and education programs in New Haven, Hamden, East Haven, and West Haven maintain their accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Accreditation is a nationally accepted measure of quality.
UWGNH provides Born Learning materials to local organizations throughout the region that work with families with young children. These materials provide concrete ideas for how parents can support their child’s learning and healthy growth, including mealtime tips, learning games, and what to expect from a child at each age. We also organized volunteers from the Regional Water Authority and Comcast to install the Born Learning Trails in New Haven, Hamden, and Branford. More
UWGNH staff serve on the New Haven Early Childhood Council, the Hamden Partnership for Young Children, the Branford Early Childhood Collaborative, and the West Haven Early Childhood Council. United Way also serves as a fiscal agent for all three collaboratives to ensure they can receive and manage grant funding.