Success By 6 will provide high-quality, early-learning opportunities to children of low-income families. In June, United Way of Northeast Florida announced the results of eleven months of study and research on how to prepare preschoolers for school unveiling its strategy entitled Success By 6. This fall, Success By 6 is being implemented to increase access to quality early learning and help parents prepare their children for kindergarten. It has been proven that quality early education for children from low-income families offers the best return-per-dollar-invested in preparing these children for success in life. Research shows that quality child care is critical for the development of fundamental skills in children. Some of the documented benefits over a child’s life are higher graduation rates, greater annual earnings and fewer arrests. Unfortunately, too many hardworking families on the First Coast cannot afford early learning care for their preschoolers. Through Success By 6 early education grants, United Way of Northeast Florida will provide children from these families the opportunity to attend learning centers with a top, five-star rating. These grants will fully fund the costs of education and engage the parents in helping their children learn and grow. In September, 31 early education grants were awarded to 3-year-olds from hardworking families earning too much to receive state assistance but not enough to afford quality early learning. Thanks to United Way and the Fifth Generation Foundation, these children have the opportunity to attend 5-star early learning centers, getting the best in early education the community has to offer. The Early Learning Coalition of Duval (ELC) helped United Way identify participating families and centers and will provide financial support to the centers to purchase educational materials. ELC will also ensure that the centers retain their five-star rating. The Early Learning Coalition of Duval serves as the fiscal partner, channeling United Way funds to the centers through their established system of payment. In partnership with the Florida Institute for Education (FIE) at the University of North Florida, children receiving the grants will be assessed for increased learning and development during each year of participation and into kindergarten. Areas of evaluation include: Language & Literacy Mathematics Social & Personal Skills Physical Health & Fitness FIE’s assessment will be completed annually and early indications are that the program is successful. All parents of children receiving grants have participated in parent engagement sessions offered at the 5-star center their child attends, and the attendance rate of the children during the first six weeks of the program stands at 98 percent. Other community and agency partners in the Success By 6 initiative include: All Saints Early Learning and Community Care Center, Episcopal Children’s Services Early Learning Center at Exchange South, New Dimensions Learning Center, The Oaks Early Learning Academy, Salvation Army Child Development Center, and St. Catherine’s Episcopal Preschool. With the high level of quality early learning and parent engagement activities Success By 6 is making possible, more than 550 young children will be impacted. >> Your Impact in our community