A Heart of Illinois United Way Early Childhood Initiative
Vision Statement
The Heart of Illinois United Way Success By Six is a new community-based movement of public and private partners, working together to deliver solutions that ensure all children, age zero to six, are healthy, safe, nurtured and ready to succeed. The United Way Success By Six program brings together community leaders, corporations, educators, advocates and parents to develop initiatives tailored to children’s developmental needs in our community.

Key Strategies

  • Create public awareness of early development issues
  • Improve quality and access to services for young children
  • Work on public policy that supports the well-being of children

A Change Agent
Success By Six will be dedicated to the collection
of community data and the development of research-based plans to achieve community change. Objectives are established that focus on influencing organizations, systems, and networks that impact youth.

Common Goals

  • Energize and inspire people to make a difference
  • Craft human care agendas within and across central Illinois
  • Build coalitions around agendas
  • Increase investments with our own development efforts
  • Measure, communicate, and learn from the impact of our efforts
     

 



The Heart of Illinois United Way has created a new resource for young children - the Success by 6ฎ "Getting Ready for School" Calendar.

From monthly learning themes to daily activities, the 15-month calendar offered activity ideas, suggested books to read and a variety of resources.

The calendars were 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.

 

 

 

Success by 6 Reading Program
In early 2008, the Heart of Illinois United Way launched the Success by 6 Reading Program targeted to children ages three to six in Peoria, Tazewell and Woodford counties.

In cooperation with local health and social service organizations, children and families will receive a new, age-appropriate book each month to help grow their home library, have access to early learning information, and have opportunities to attend child-parent literacy activities at their childcare providers.

Success by 6 Reading Program partners include:
Bright Beginnings, Woodford County
Bright Futures, Peoria County
Child Care Connection, Peoria
Head Start, Peoria County
Head Start, Tazewell-Woodford County
Horizons Center, Pekin
Neighborhood House, Peoria
STAR Program, Peoria

The Success by 6 Reading Program:
• Reaches 78 childcare sites
• Provides 2,700 preschool children with a new book per month including favorites like Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
• Assists parents with early childhood learning information through reading tips and regularly scheduled literacy activities at program sites
• Distributes approximately 30,000 new books annually

 

Success By Six Committee

Ron Hale, Chair
TCRC, Inc.

Members:
Patti Bash
Hult Health Education Center

Carlotta Bielfeldt
Bielfeldt Foundation

Laraine Bryson
Tri-County  Urban League

Jan Deissler
Child Care Connection

Dawn Gersich
Peoria Public Schools

Bonnie Jones
Tazewell-Woodford Head Start

Nancy Levenick
Community Volunteer

Dave Mingus
Neighborhood House

Erin Stout
Peoria County Bright Futures

Kate Van Beek
Peoria County
For more information
about Success by Six, call Maggie Heppner, Program Coordinator, at 309-674-5181, ext. 229.


The "Read to Me. Be with Me. Talk to Me. CityLink Bus:

CityLink and the United Way have partnered to create the "Read to me. Be with me. Talk to me." bus. Featuring colorful photos, this blue bus is a daily, citywide reminder of the important role the community plays in the future success of young children.

 

School
Readiness Study:

Bradley University's C.C. Wheeler Institute for the Holistic Study of Family Well-Being conducted a School Readiness Study for the Heart of Illinois United Way in 2007.

Kindergarten and preschool teachers from District 150 and Tazewell County, each with an average of 17 years of experience, answered key questions about issues affecting the education of young children in the Peoria area.

Findings from the study include:

• Lower income families do not have time to read with their children because they often work two or more jobs

• Improving parental
involvement is vital to

improving a child's behavior, development skills and reading/writing skills

• Parents who participate in educational activities with

their children become more interested and motivated to see their child succeed


Children are constantly learning, right from birth

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

• 90 percent of a person's brain development occurs before age six

• 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

 

ฉ 2008 Heart of Illinois United Way