Blog by Bridget Tobin, Mission Advancement Intern, United Way for Greater Austin The Success By 6 Coalition is a network of child and family advocates – providers, parents, policymakers, civic leaders, and experts – with a shared goal to ensure every child enters Kindergarten happy, healthy, and prepared to succeed in school and beyond. As part of our collective impact work to break economic barriers and build opportunity for all, United Way for Greater Austin convenes a Success By 6 Coalition in both Travis and Williamson counties. To prepare all our youngest community members for school and beyond, we partner with local nonprofits to deliver impactful services in four focus areas: Healthy beginnings Supported families High-quality care & education Safe & stimulating communities Together with our partners, we are transforming our local early education system, so that children and their families can reach their full potential. April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. This month and every month, United Way for Greater Austin and the Success By 6 Coalition work to support children experiencing abuse and neglect. Faith communities are invited to participate in Blue Sunday, a national day of prayer for children experiencing abuse and neglect. Each year Blue Sunday falls on the last Sunday in April, and this year, Blue Sunday is April 28. Child abuse and neglect statistics in Travis County and Texas have improved slightly since last year, but the reality is still heartbreaking: In 2023 in Travis County, there were: 1,018 children under the age […]
Read MoreInside the inspiring world of Freedom Schools
This summer, the Greater Austin Reading Coalition,a coalition convened by United Way for Greater Austin, collaborated with CDF Freedom Schools® Austin to offer impactful tutoring to 33 young scholars enrolled in their summer camp program. We recently had the opportunity to interview Director of Parent Engagement, Simone Barnes, who shared details about the enriching partnership and the culturally responsive, year-round support network provided by the organization. Can you please provide an overview of what Freedom Schools are and their core mission or purpose? Freedom Schools is a part of a national program. An intense and beautiful six week summer program, however we aim to build a sense of community year round. The core mission of Freedom Schools: It started in 1964 in Mississippi when African Americans were discouraged from voting, and there was no equal education available across the country. In 1964, white and Black college students from the north came down to Mississippi to help educate African Americans to vote due to the literacy tests. There was a freedom schools movement in the US. The movement shifted toward today, which focuses on curriculum for students during the summer to continue education. This is especially important to combat summer learning loss. Part of the Freedom School way is cultural and literacy. It is fun. It is not like day-to-day school. They learn that reading is about creativity and sharing a voice, not just passing a test. We also highlight the idea that reading allows you to change your community and […]
Read MoreProven Program: Parenting Students Project
Parenting students work hard every day to pursue their goals, juggling caregiving, course work, and sometimes multiple jobs to build a better life for their families. Because of the obstacles they face, parenting students are nearly twice as likely to leave school for preventable reasons: lack of child care, conflicting course and work schedules, and even convenient transportation. Removing the barriers parenting students face helps them continue on education pathways to living wage employment, which changes their lives as well as their children’s lives. In fact, a $3,000 difference in parents’ income while a child is young leads to a 17% increase in that child’s future earnings. That’s why United Way for Greater Austin partners with Austin Community College to provide parenting students, ages 18-29, with incentives to accelerate their post-secondary education. Students in our program receive: $500 monthly stipend Peer networking/engagement Leadership and advocacy opportunities Academic counseling Child care scholarships Other wrap-around services “This program has been extremely helpful for my family and I. It allows me to focus all of my attention on nursing school and make sure I stay on track and graduate.” – Deja, program participant Our impact: From Fall 2021- Fall 2023 Supported families. The Parenting Students Project supported 76 students and 103 children. Academic success. 38% of students have earned a degree or certification as of the end of Spring 2023, with an additional 38% intending to continue in the program. Financial stability. The Parenting Students Project awarded each student an average of $2,038 […]
Read MoreA Night United 2023: celebrating the dreams that inspire us
Wow, what a night! A sold-out crowd of nearly 400 people came out to A Night United to support our mission to break the cycle of poverty and help local children and families keep reaching for their dreams in our continued fight for equity. Thanks to the generous support of so many, we exceeded our fundraising goal of $500,000! A lot has changed since United Way opened its doors to the Greater Austin community nearly 100 years ago. Our world, our region, and even our skyline has changed. But we’ve never lost sight of the shared values that define us: hope, drive, success, and potential—even when systems keep too many from reaching as high as they could. As CEO David C. Smith said at A Night United, “Hundreds of thousands of our neighbors haven’t yet had the opportunity to realize their dreams. You are that foundation that allows them to dream bigger, beyond basic needs, to bigger goals that benefit all of us, all while ensuring their children start off knowing there are no limits, reaching for the stars. This is our dream at United Way, knowing when one of us wins, we all win. Now is the time for us to dream big together–imagine with us what we can create together.” We know that when we come together, we rise above. Hand in hand, we can ensure everyone can reach their full potential. Thank you for being a part of this endeavor. Special thanks to our amazing co-chairs Judy […]
Read MoreJoin us for Blue Sunday
Blog by Bridget Tobin, Mission Advancement Intern, United Way for Greater Austin The Success By 6 Coalition is a network of child and family advocates – providers, parents, policymakers, civic leaders, and experts – with a shared goal to ensure every child enters Kindergarten happy, healthy, and prepared to succeed in school and beyond. As part of our collective impact work to break economic barriers and build opportunity for all, United Way for Greater Austin convenes a Success By 6 Coalition in both Travis and Williamson counties. To prepare all our youngest community members for school and beyond, we partner with local nonprofits to deliver impactful services in four focus areas: Healthy beginnings Supported families High-quality care & education Safe & stimulating communities Together with our partners, we are transforming our local early education system, so that children and their families can reach their full potential. April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. This month and every month, United Way for Greater Austin and the Success By 6 Coalition work to support children experiencing abuse and neglect. Faith communities are invited to participate in Blue Sunday, a national day of prayer for children experiencing abuse and neglect. Each year Blue Sunday falls on the last Sunday in April, and this year, Blue Sunday is April 28. Child abuse and neglect statistics in Travis County and Texas have improved slightly since last year, but the reality is still heartbreaking: In 2023 in Travis County, there were: 1,018 confirmed victims of child […]
Read MoreThe history of Children’s Optimal Health
This blog was written by United Way for Greater Austin’s Model Community Data Manager Dan Brown. In early 2008, thirteen lead community agencies and institutions organized as the Charter Members of Children‘s Optimal Health (COH) and formed a Texas Unincorporated Non-Profit Association (TUNA). Five of the Charter Member organizations committed to the initial funding of COH, while others committed data, time, and their knowledge surrounding the Central Texas community. The COH Board of Directors reflected the diverse organizations that impact children’s lives: healthcare, housing, education, economic development, and agencies addressing social and emotional development. This variety in Board representation allowed COH to look at a broader definition of health that included educational factors as well as the social determinants that play an important role in shaping outcomes for children. COH was created as a “Utility” to help our community visualize issues related to children’s well-being. Partners included municipal entities, healthcare organizations, non-profits and corporations. With the neighborhood-level geographic (GIS) maps of locally held data that COH produced, the community was able to gather together to study issues and find solutions to the problems we face in ensuring children are healthy. COH joined the Urban Institute’s National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership as part of a learning community focused on increasing visibility and action around neighborhood disparities. COH served as a collective leadership initiative that united the efforts of Central Texas organizations in promoting community change to help our children reach a brighter future. COH strived to give agencies and communities access to […]
Read More