Our Americorps VISTA volunteers have been with us for a year and done some amazing things. Now they are on to bigger and better things, but they’re not going too far. Kaley Horton, VISTA for UWATX’s Success By 6 program, has been focused on our Play To Learn project: a strategic initiative to bring high-quality services to Austin’s most vulnerable children at local libraries and other accessible neighborhood locations. “I could quickly tell from my interactions with partner agencies and people from the community that United Way was something exceptional, something special – I was proud to be a part of it,” said Kaley. This year alone, Kaley ensured that 55 families completed this 8-week program. Because of Kaley’s successful leadership and grant funding from Samsung, she will continue to manage this project beyond her VISTA service, helping 200 families complete the program. Steven Olender spent a year managing the Youth Program Quality initiative, a part of our Target Graduation program that works to address the need for quality standards in out-of-school programs. Working with more than 50 organizations, Steven coordinated more than 80 assessments of afterschool and summer programs that serve youth and 23 related trainings. Steven also researched, analyzed and wrote the 2012 Early Care and Education Survey and assisted in teaching the Volunteer Project Leadership class at Webb Middle School, part of our Target Graduation program. “I’m incredibly proud to come to work every day at United Way because we bring together community members to address not simply the symptoms of poverty, but to work for long-term, sustainable solutions,” said […]
Read MoreUWATX releases 2012 Early Care and Education Survey
United Way for Greater Austin has released the 2012 Early Care and Education Survey – a detailed look at trends across early care and education centers in Travis County, including key data about quality and availability. Compared with previous editions, this year’s survey shows some encouraging trends but also points to clear challenges. Key findings include: Early care and education teachers, on average, made between $9.82 and $13.92 per hour with limited benefits. This is roughly half of wages for public school Pre-K teachers. Teacher education varies greatly between the regions of Travis County. In South and West Austin, the percent of teachers with at least a bachelor’s degree is nearly double the percent in North, East and Central Austin. Survey results indicated a large shift in center priorities. In 2010, reducing parent fees was listed as one of the top three priorities for 50% of all centers surveyed. In 2012, it registered as a top priority of only 5.5% of centers. Since we started conducting this survey, strides have been made in teacher education, benefits and retention, but these areas still have significant room for growth. Center directors across the board stressed the need for increased staff wages to properly compensate and motivate teachers, especially when raising education requirements for teachers. Funding increases and community support for the early care and education community are necessary to make these changes happen. “The survey was conceived to help improve and consolidate knowledge of early care and education centers and provide a valuable planning […]
Read MorePartner Profile: Nordstrom
Name: Nordstrom Partner for: 10 years locally Partner for: Employee Campaign, Hands On Central Texas Our relationship: Volunteering as a way to connect to the community Last year, Nordstrom participated in two additional volunteer projects. They went to Webb Middle School, one of the sites for UWATX’s Middle School Matters program, to aid teachers in preparing fun and engaging math games. They were so inspired that they even found a way to donate glasses to a girl who needed them. Volunteering helps Nordstrom connect to the community and see the value of their philanthropy. Continuing the fun of Employee Campaign all-year To keep connect employees to philanthropy throughout the year, Nordstrom has special events on top of their volunteering activities. Jeans Day events, which start in July, allow employees to donate and have the opportunity to wear jeans to work as an incentive. Fun activities like this keep the spirit of Employee Campaign year-round. Nordstrom employs best practices: Providing donor-specific information to UWATX Inviting UWATX to speak at meetings Running a UWATX campaign Creating an Employee Campaign Team Engaging with UWATX outside of campaign What we’ve accomplished together: A campaign increase of over $13,000 in the past 3 years, while employee count has stayed relatively the same.
Read MorePartner Profile: Texas Gas Service
Name: Texas Gas Service Partner for: 10 years Partner for: Employee Campaign, Hands On Central Texas Our relationship: Serving customers and the community Texas Gas is dedicated to providing top-quality service. This keen focus extend to their work in the community, where the company is committed to providing an engaging experience for employees and employees are committed to serving the community as well as they serve their customers. In the past five years, that’s meant including more UWATX speakers at meetings and directing all dollars to make the most impact through United Way. Growing philanthropists in innovative ways Through their Employee Campaign, Texas Gas provides innovative ways for any employee to find their own way to give back. Employees can make items for their raffle, including everything from wrought iron grills to breakfast tacos, go bowling or golfing or even donate to get their manager to karaoke. Alongside all these fun activities, Texas Gas maintains focus on their goal: for employees to give through payroll deduction, often the easiest way to make a big impact without hurting your budget. Texas Gas employs best practices: Inviting UWATX to speak at meetings Running a UWATX campaign Creating an Employee Campaign Team Engaging with UWATX outside of campaign What we’ve accomplished together: In the past three years, Texas Gas has grown their employee giving by more than $30,000, an almost 25 percent increase! How Texas Gas makes Austin greater: “Texas Gas is dedicated to making sure there’s something for […]
Read MorePartner Profile: Communities In Schools
Name: Communities In Schools Partner for: 19 years Partner with: Success By 6, Target Graduation Our relationship: Funding programs that serve children and parents UWATX funding supports Communities In Schools (CIS) in their ASPIRE program – a dual generation program where low-income parents take ESL or GED classes while their children enjoy quality child care, allowing all family members to get support at the same time. UWATX also funds CIS parent education programs that provide evidence-based courses that improve school readiness and also decrease child abuse and neglect. Additionally, CIS provides services to three high-need middle schools – providing mentoring, tutoring, case management and behavioral health services. Creating solutions that work Working collaboratively, UWATX, CIS and Child Inc. brought Early Head Start services to teen parents at two local high schools. These services allowed vulnerable children to receive engaging care shown to help brain development while their parents focused on their own education. CIS is also providing valuable insight to our Target Graduation’s Out-of-School Time (OST) Agenda – a detailed plan for improving the OST system in Central Texas. Meeting the challenge of quality programs When UWATX set the bar high in 2006 by requiring funded program to adopt evidence-based models, CIS enthusiastically embraced the new standards and expanded quality programming as a result. What we’ve accomplished: Through this partnership, CIS and UWATX have brought quality, innovative solutions for the challenges of Greater Austin. How Communities In Schools makes Austin greater: “Because CIS programs operate in or near public schools, […]
Read MorePartner Profile: Faith Presbyterian Child Development Center
Name: Faith Presbyterian Child Development Center Partner for: 5 years Partner with: Success By 6 Our relationship: Funding programs to maintain quality care Faith Presbyterian Child Development Center (Faith Presbyterian) has been a UWATX grantee for five years. Thanks to that support, they have been able to increase the number of low-income children that participate in their high-quality program. Participating in innovative partnerships Thanks to their relationship with UWATX, Faith Presbyterian can take part in Success By 6’s White Glove Health project, where provides free health care services on-site to staff and the children and families they serve. To date, nearly 200 families, children and staff members have registered for this service through the SB6 project. Planning for the future of our youngest children Faith Presbyterian leadership have taken an active role in the School Readiness Action Plan, a project led by UWATX Success By 6 to increase the percent of children who are school ready to 70 percent by 2015. What we’ve accomplished: Together, Faith Presbyterian and UWATX have helped more than 150 children receive high-quality child care. Through their relationship with UWATX, Faith Presbyterian has also maintained the NAEYC accreditation- the gold standard for early education programs. How Faith Presbyterian Child Development Center makes Austin greater: “Faith Presbyterian is a sensitive program that addresses all needs of a family or child- and they will do whatever it takes to provide support. The program director is always willing to lend a hand to other center directors in the SB6 family […]
Read MorePartner Profile: Workforce Solutions
Name: Workforce Solutions Partner for: 7+ years Partner with: Success By 6 Our relationship: Implementing proven solutions in Central Texas In 2009, UWATX arranged for local experts to attend a proven training program in Chicago and then worked with a variety of funders to implement the program locally through Workforce Solutions. Since then, more than 50 directors have completed the 100 hour program, earning up to 12 credit hours in child care administration and measurably improving the quality of care. Improving child care centers UWATX and Workforce Solutions have partnered to improve the quality of care for our youngest community members. With UWATX funding and planning support, , Workforce Solutions employs experts who help child care center directors improve their programs through one-on-one mentoring and coaching. Workforce staff members have attended UWATX trainings that focus on skills-based, respectful approaches to working with families and young children. Leading the early childhood community Workforce Solutions joins other local leaders in working on the School Readiness Action Plan, a UWATX project which has set out to increase the percent of children who enter school ready to learn to 70 percent by 2015. Workforce Solutions also facilitates the Quality Child Care Collaborative, which UWATX funds and where SB6 staff serves on the leadership team. What we’ve accomplished: By working together on joint goals, we have increased the percentage of centers serving low-income communities who meet state quality standards from 18 percent to 62 percent. Today, nearly 1,300 3- to 5-year olds are enrolled […]
Read MoreUWATX pacesetter campaigns kickoff with H-E-B
While the majority of United Way for Greater Austin’s Employee Campaigns run throughout the fall, a few companies set the pace and the tone for each year’s season. As always, H-E-B is one of the first out of the gate, enthusiastic and dedicated to making a difference. “H-E-B has always been committed to giving back,” said Jeff Thomas, Senior Vice President – General Manager for the Central Texas region of H-E-B. “We are one of the largest employers in the Greater Austin area, so we know we can have a great influence on the community that we live in and work in.” Nearly a month ago, more than 50 H-E-B In-Store Coordinators joined United Way staff to get excited about campaign and see what was in store for this year. Coordinators shared their experiences in past campaigns and gave each other tips on how to make the most out of the experience, for themselves, fellow employees and the community. “I think it’s the way that they make the impact of each employee’s gift clear that really sets H-E-B apart,” said Greg Bennett, the UWATX Development Officer that manages H-E-B’s campaign. “They emphasize how what seems like a small gift can make a big impact. For example, they’ll show a $2 soft drink and say ‘The price of a soda every week can provide two weeks of one-on-one mentoring for a middle school student.’” This year, H-E-B partners have taken their work to the next level by printing signage to post […]
Read MoreA look at the work we do
As United Way for Greater Austin has stepped back our grants due to financial reasons, we are maintaining our commitment to our most robust programs and reinvigorating our work in proven initiatives that support Financial Opportunity and provide access to health care. We are continuing to leverage our grants in Success By 6 and Target Graduation to help children start school ready to learn and keep them on the path to graduate from high school. We are dedicated to increasing the percent of children who enter school ready to learn to 70 percent by 2015 by continuing to lead a strong, motivated coalition of community advocates. We are devoted to helping vulnerable students graduate from high school by coordinating strong programs on their campuses, improving the quality of afterschool and summer programs and, essentially, helping students like Kevin – who participated in our Volunteer Project Leadership class and has already started leading projects in our community. In our Financial Opportunity program this year, we launched Learn Where You Earn (LWYE), an initiative that builds on our strong relationships with companies by bringing financial education courses into the workplace. So far, more than 200 individual have been part of the courses. They focused on topics like how to budget, manage their debt and save for the future. We will continue to help employees like Savannah, an H-E-B employee who attended the LWYE program and said “I want the chance to build my own life—savings, a home, all those things—and thanks to […]
Read MoreMaking Austin greater – 2012 Employee Campaign
Leadership Makes Austin Greater Kevin, Webb Middle School student “I’m in the United Way Volunteer Project Leader program because I want to be a better person. When I grow up I want to be a professional soccer player but I worry I won’t ever be able to. Lots of times, money is tough even though my mom works really hard. She motivates me because she works so hard – she’s my mom and my dad at the same time. People from UWATX and my school who care about me say I should stay in school because even though I don’t need math to play soccer, I’m still going to need it at some point. Thanks to the UWATX program, I’ve already done some volunteer projects and it made me feel really good because I could talk to the people that couldn’t speak English so it made me proud to be bilingual. ” Education Makes Austin Greater Beth, mother of 4-year-old Katelyn “My daughter is becoming more social and independent thanks to United Way’s Play To Learn project. A few months ago, my mother passed away and I was having a difficult time finding a caretaker for my 4-year-old daughter Katelyn until I discovered United Way’s Play To Learn project. Since I do not have Internet access, the library is a home away from home for us, so it was incredibly convenient to find this service there. And this was so much more than childcare, it also allowed my daughter […]
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