Heart of Illinois United Way
Success By Six
What is Success By 6®?
The Heart of Illinois United Way's early childhood initiative, Success By 6®, is a community-based committee of business leaders, educators and early childhood advocates brought together to develop solutions for children of central Illinois.
Why do we need Success By 6® in central Illinois?
- The primary goal of Success By 6® is to ensure that all children, from birth to age six, are healthy, safe, nurtured and ready to succeed. Success By 6® objectives include:
- Create public awareness of early development opportunities
- Improve quality and access to services for young children
- Support and create public policy for the well-being of children
What is the Success By 6® Be a Page Turner Reading Program?
The Heart of Illinois United Way’s Success By 6® Reading Program targets children ages three to six in Peoria, Tazewell and Woodford counties.
- Children and families in the Success By 6® Reading Program...
- receive a new book each month for their home library
- increase access to early learning information
- attend child-parent literacy activities
- Success By 6® Reading Program...
- reaches 83 childcare sites and 143 classrooms
- provides more than 3,200 new books per month
- has distributed more than 88,000 books since 2008
Why is early learning and literacy so important to a child’s success?
Children are constantly learning, right from birth, and their early years are the foundation for growth and development.
Quick facts about the importance of early childhood learning and literacy include:
According to the Illinois State Board of Education, almost 40 percent of children entering kindergarten are behind in their developmental goals and are not ready to succeed in school.
90 percent of a person's brain development occurs before age six according to the National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families.
Early learning reduces crime rates, teenage pregnancy, welfare dependency, job training costs and grade repetition.
Early learning increases success in school, graduation rates, workforce readiness and job productivity.
Success By 6® Getting Ready for School Calendar
The Heart of Illinois United Way offers a creative resource for parents and young children - the Success By 6® “Getting Ready for School” Calendar.
From monthly learning themes to daily activities, the 12-month calendar offered activity ideas, suggested books to read and a variety of resources.
The calendars are available free of charge to preschools, child care centers, social service agencies, schools, libraries, pediatrician offices, and more throughout Marshall, Peoria, Putnam, Stark, Tazewell and Woodford counties.
School Readiness Calendar
|
June 2011 July 2011 August 2011 September 2011 October 2011 November 2011 |
December 2011 January 2012 February 2012 March 2012 April 2012 May 2012 |
PDF, all less than 200kb | |
Parent Resources
Getting Ready for School Guidebook
School readiness is more than knowing letters, numbers, and identifying colors and shapes. Children who are ready for school have good social, self-help, and physical skills and are developing a love of learning. School Readiness Checklist, School Registration Information, List of Area School Districts, and more... PDF 200 kb
Parent Resources - Where to Go
Helpful information from Success By 6®
Websites, Health and Social Service Agencies, Public Health Departments...
List of Public Libraries - Public libraries in our area...
How I Learn
Your child will develop and grow in his or her abilities as they age. Here are benchmarks you can look for in your own child's development.
How I Learn Benchmarks... PDF 443kb
Good Morning Check Off List
Good Morning Check Off List... PDF 552kb
More Information
For more information on Success By 6® Initiative:
Maggie Heppner, Program Coordinator
phone 309-674-5181, ext. 229
email maggie.heppner@unitedway.org
www.hoiunitedway.org