Success By 6®
In 1998, UWLC convened partners and chartered the Success By 6® Leadership Team in response to the community’s deep concern about the child abuse rates in the county, which were amongst the worst in Oregon. The Leadership Team began a process of research and literature review, development and implementation of promising interventions, and evaluation and tracking impact of those interventions. In the first ten years, SB6 developed and initiated research based initiatives, forged partnerships and documented a gradual reduction of child abuse rates in the county. The main strategies developed and implemented during this period include: a norms-changing media campaign, “Cherish Every Child”; the Parent HelpLine; systematic developmental screening; and a widely distributed publication “Children Do Come with Directions”.
In 2008, at Success By 6®’s tenth anniversary, the Leadership Team expanded its focus and adopted the 2020 goal to ensure all children are prepared for success in school and life.
The Leadership Team also acknowledged that ensuring all children in Lane County enter school ready to learn means having ready parents, ready early learning environments, ready communities and ready systems.
In 2009, United Way of Lane County’s Success By 6® Leadership Team adopted the following strategic outcomes:
- Children enter school with age-appropriate early language and literacy skills.
- Children enter school with age-appropriate social and emotional development.
- Parents have the knowledge and tools to be actively involved in their child’s development and education.
Data collected from participating school districts in Lane County indicates that over half of all children entering kindergarten do not meet the early literacy benchmarks. These children are behind their peers in terms of knowing their letters and sounds and their familiarity with books and printed material. This means they will have a difficult time learning to read by third grade. Even more startling, about one third of all children entering kindergarten are at high-risk for not learning to be able to read by third grade.
Everyone in our community has a role to play in ensuring all our children get the best start possible.
Ready Parents recognize and embrace their role as their children’s first and best teacher. They know where and when to seek help in the community and are confident and capable parents, helping their children grow and flourish.
Ready Early Learning Environments are programs that effectively serve children in their preschool years and prepare them for successful entry into kindergarten, including family child care, private/community-based centers, Head Start/Early Head Start, and school-based early education.
A Ready Community actively works to meet the needs of young children and their families in relevant and meaningful ways. The community demands leaders – elected, business and civic – who recognize the importance of policies and services that support families.
Ready Systems are health care, early intervention and other systems that serve young children working in alignment to succeed in earlier detection and more effective responses to barriers to child development (physical, mental, cognitive and behavioral) and school readiness.
A Ready Child is socially, emotionally, physically and intellectually ready to start school. He or she is able to succeed as a learner. Confident and capable parents support the Ready Child with access to services and programs in the community.
Click on the image to the left to download the United Way Success By 6® Education Action Area 2010 Status Report